Low-Dose, High Quality CT for Extremities Tested

The HUS Medical Imaging Center, located in the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland, is teaming up with the Carestream OnSight 3D Extremity System to conduct the first European clinical test study of its cone beam scanner and image reconstruction technology.

Helsinki University Central Hospital serves a population of 1.5 million people and includes the largest trauma imaging center in Finland. The center specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of orthopedic and trauma patients. The imaging center performs about 90, 000 operations each year.

“HUS is always keen to test new technology and the impact on patient care that new technologies can have, ” said David Chan, Carestream’s Global Product Line Manager. “When this Carestream test trial was available, it was clear that HUS would be able to offer the large number of pre- and post-trauma studies required for a meaningful trial.”

The Carestream extremity cone beam CT (CBCT) captures low-dose, high-quality CT images for orthopedic medicine, delivering 3D weight-bearing images at the point-of-care, something, the company claims, that is not otherwise possible with traditional CT. The system is not yet available for commercial sale.

During the research work, radiologists at HUS will evaluate the image quality in bone structure, fractures and the level of metal artifacts. A medical physicist will contribute to the physical image and radiation exposure assessment.

“CBCT can be utilized as a low-dose 3D imaging method in both pre- and post-operative diagnostics, ” explained Chan. “New iterative image reconstruction helps to mitigate image artifacts caused by metallic implants that can typically be present in many orthopaedic cases. Thus, diagnostically relevant structures such as bone fractures of different size and shape and joint surfaces, can be evaluated more clearly. We also expect to see improvements in the characterization of soft tissue.”