We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Cartography Techniques Help Calculate Spine Curvature

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 20 Nov 2019
Print article
Image: The EOS imaging system (Photo courtesy of EOS Imaging)
Image: The EOS imaging system (Photo courtesy of EOS Imaging)
Cutting-edge imaging technology can be used to produce three-dimensional (3D) anatomic maps of the spine to aid people with scoliosis, according to a recently launched trial.

The technique, developed at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS, New York, NY, USA) and the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion; Haifa, Israel), combines two advanced imaging technologies. The first is stereophotogrammetry via a highly accurate topographical 3D surface imaging system that is manufactured by 3dMD (Atlanta, GA, USA); and the second is the EOS Imaging (Paris, France) biplanar x-ray imaging platform, which determines spinal alignment while significantly reducing exposure to ionizing radiation.

The 3dMD system combines information from 30 high-definition cameras to produce a full map of the torso in under a second. EOS imaging provides images of the patients in natural standing positions using perpendicular X-ray beams collimated in two very thin, horizontal, fan-shaped beams, which along with two variable gain detectors, provides a high contrast digital radiograph (DR) that uses a significantly lower radiation dose than a general radiography X-ray. This enables clinicians to make a more informed diagnosis and create individualized treatment plans for children with musculoskeletal disorders.

“This technology is essentially producing the world's most advanced selfie, and the benefit is that there's nothing dangerous about it. When you image with this system, you can count the number of hairs on a person's leg,” said senior investigator Howard Hillstrom, PhD, director of the motion analysis lab at HSS. “The speed of the process is a significant advantage over conventional imaging, as up to ten to twenty percent of torso x-rays must be redone because inadvertent movements during the scans distort the picture; 3dMD is immune to that.”

"Being able to use this technology to screen patients for scoliosis would be a big improvement over the current method, which uses a carpenter's level on a patient's back and has a very high rate of false-positives,” added Roger Widmann, MD, chief of the pediatric orthopedic surgery service at HSS. “You're taking x-rays on a lot of kids who don't need them, so we need a very reliable technology that correlates with x-rays so that you can safely decide if you need one or not. We'd love to have a better tool for this.”

Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. Although it is a complex 3D deformity, on an X-ray, viewed from the rear, the spine of an individual with scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line. Scoliosis is typically classified as congenital, idiopathic, or neuromuscular, when it has developed as a secondary symptom of another condition, such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, or physical trauma.

Related Links:
Hospital for Special Surgery
Israel Institute of Technology
3dMD
EOS Imaging


Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Breast Imaging Workstation
SecurView

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The permeable wearable electronics developed for long-term biosignal monitoring (Photo courtesy of CityUHK)

Super Permeable Wearable Electronics Enable Long-Term Biosignal Monitoring

Wearable electronics have become integral to enhancing health and fitness by offering continuous tracking of physiological signals over extended periods. This monitoring is crucial for understanding an... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.