Alex Trelinski
A REVOLUTIONARY new x-ray scanner that cuts radioactive emissions by up to 85% is being used for the first time in a Spanish public hospital.
The unit has been installed at Valencia’s Doctor Peset University Hospital and operates vertically which means full-body x-rays are conducted while patients stand.
It will be used for the treatment and planning of surgeries in adults and children with musculo-skeletal problems involving mainly the spine, hip, knee and ankle.
EOS technology provides high-quality head-to-toe images using a very low dose of radiation ranging between 50 to 85% lower than traditional x-rays.
This dose reduction is especially important for those who have to go frequently undergo regular scans, children with spinal deformities such as scoliosis.
In just around 20 seconds, the system generates two simultaneous frontal and lateral images of the patient’s body without magnification and without the need to move the patient around.
From these two images, 3D models of the patient’s skeleton can be created, which are essential in the diagnosis and personalised planning for each person.
Spine Pathology Unit head, Dr. Antonio Martin, said: “The fact that we can have full body images, with the person standing and 3D models, helps us to improve the level of understanding of the pathology of each patient, and this allows us to provide each person with better treatment and care.”
The equipment started being used last week at a cost of €720,000 and provides important information in cases of hip and knee reconstruction or in the planning of spinal deformity surgeries.
“Most systems capture images with the patient lying down, without carrying their own weight, while the latter does it with the patient standing,“ said Martin.
“It means we can better evaluate the global posture of the person, understanding the relationship between the spine, pelvis and lower extremities, and therefore we can plan operations that are more precise and personalised,” he concluded.
