In the United States today, musculoskeletal diseases affect more than one out of every two persons age 18 and over, and nearly three out of four age 65 and over.
At Erie County Medical Center, Carestream and UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine are initiating clinical studies on a new three-dimensional medical imaging system to examine the benefits of cone-beam CT technology (CBCT) for treating extremity injuries.
The studies will help guide Carestream’s development of CBCT systems with the goal of providing orthopaedic solutions for hospitals, clinics and sports medicine providers that use less radiation than traditional CT. The technology is also compact and affordable, with the potential for wide use across a range of facilities.
Physicians from UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, experts in caring for patients with musculoskeletal problems, are working with Carestream researchers to explore the new digital CBCT technology, which provides practitioners with previously unavailable weight-bearing images of knees, legs and feet.
The CBCT system used in this study is investigational and not available for commercial sale.
The two organizations plan to expand their partnership at a later date to study the advantages of digital imaging technology in treating other extremity conditions.
“Our collaboration with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine is a prime example of how important customer research is in driving successful innovation,” said Diana L. Nole, President, Digital Medical Solutions, Carestream. “We are able to test product and business concepts in a real clinical environment, which is superior to theorizing or anticipating key design elements.”
She continued, “These studies will help us evaluate the clinical and business advantages of CBCT systems and help to answer questions including: Does it improve patient outcomes? Does it improve the patient experience? Can we further develop CBCT systems to deliver the image quality suitable for assessing other conditions such as traumatic brain injuries?”
The Erie County Medical Center is an advanced regional medical center and major teaching facility of the University at Buffalo. A member of the Great Lakes Health System of Western New York, ECMC is the Adult Regional Trauma Center and operates 602 licensed beds located in Buffalo, N.Y.
“We think the novel capabilities of the Carestream CBCT scanner have broad application to the basic science and clinical practice of orthopaedics and sports medicine,” said John Marzo, a physician with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, associate professor of Clinical Orthopaedics, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo and former medical director of the Buffalo Bills NFL organization. “We are launching an initial clinical study that may help surgeons more accurately and objectively diagnose the degree of instability of the patella.”
Marzo added, “A second collaborative project will validate the ability of the CBCT scanner to measure contact area inside the knee joint, which will be valuable in a host of clinical situations. We have several other projects in various stages of development to be performed over the next two to three years that establish a mutually beneficial relationship with Carestream Health.”
For more information, visit Carestream Health.
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