Shriners Hospitals for Children-Portland announced the availability of the new EOS Imaging System, which provides full-body, 3D images of patients in a natural standing or sitting position and with a low radiation dose.
At the Portland Shriners Hospitals for Children more than 10,000 images are taken each year of its 6,000 active patients. More than 40% of the x-rays taken are of children’s spines for diagnosis of conditions such as scoliosis and other spinal deformities. Patients with scoliosis typically undergo imaging every 3 to 6 years, which can amount to more than 20 total scans over the course of treatment. This radiation exposure may increase the likelihood of developing cancer in later years. The EOS system provides high-quality, radiographic images of the patient’s skeleton, while delivering a radiation dose up to nine times less than a conventional radiography x-ray and up to 20 times less than a CT scan. This low dose makes the system of particular value for pediatric patients, especially children who need to be imaged frequently to monitor disease progression such as those with scoliosis.
