A patient’s mobility plays a significant role in the accuracy and effectiveness of imaging procedures. Many patients face challenges with immobility due to various health conditions, illness, or advanced age. Imaging immobile patients often results in blurred images, motion artifacts, and potentially inaccurate diagnoses. The repercussions of these challenges are profound; imprecise imaging not only necessitates repeat scans, adding cost and inconvenience, but can also delay critical diagnoses.
Addressing the issues surrounding patient immobility is essential for enhancing diagnostic accuracy and overall patient care. By exploring innovative technologies like SpectralDR™, we can pave the way for more efficient and effective diagnostic processes that accommodate the needs of all patients.
The Challenge of Patient Immobility in Medical Diagnostics
The mobility of patients, or their ability to freely use their arms and legs, greatly affects how they are diagnosed in medical environments. Immobile patients present unique challenges when it comes to diagnostic procedures like CT scans and MRIs. The vast majority of high-power imaging modalities require patients to remain still for an extended period of time, with even the smallest movements leading to blurred images and motion artifacts. When patients don’t have complete control over their body movements, achieving accurate imaging becomes increasingly difficult. Inaccurate and unclear imaging results will necessitate repeat scans, which result in higher costs and potential out-of-pocket expenses for the patient. It also increases patient exposure to radiation and contributes to delays in diagnosis.
Addressing the challenge of patient immobility in medical diagnostics requires a multifaceted approach, incorporating technological innovation and patient-centered care.
What Is a Portable SpectralDR™ X-Ray?
SpectralDR™ Technology
SpectralDR™ is a dual-energy imaging technology designed and patented by KA Imaging. It’s flexible and applies in both fixed and portable applications, serving a wide variety of patients. Medical professionals can tailor their SpectralDR™ solutions to specific medical scenarios, lending them the autonomy they need to safely diagnose patients.
SpectralDR™ combines multiple scintillation layers, allowing for three images to be produced from a single exposure. Of the three images, SpectralDR™ delivers the standard image, with supplemental soft tissue and bone images. This unlocks the potential for clearer and more accurate diagnosing, allowing medical professionals to examine areas of the body obscured by bone or medical devices. These images are acquired with only the standard dose of radiation, reducing risks of overexposure. In addition, it eliminates the appearance of motion artifacts, making it a prime solution for reimaging and patient mobility challenges.
Alternative Techniques
A common technique for achieving similar results is bone suppression (BS) technology. With BS, an algorithm highlights soft tissue parts of the image by suppressing regular bony structures such as the ribs. It needs only a single exposure to achieve this.
Nevertheless, BS’s effectiveness is limited. Its ability to increase clarity depends largely on the quality and amount of information acquired from the initial X-ray image. For example, BS can be trained to identify the shape of and suppress the rib cage, but cannot differentiate between vessels and nodules that are soft tissue or calcified because it does not have the physics-based material discriminating power of DEX. BS software also has trouble producing water-subtracted (bone) images because there is much more variability in the soft tissue structures as compared with the relatively well-defined rib cage. Generally, BS is most effective for suppressing the rib cage, and it can help highlight adjacent pulmonary nodules. However, even this presents difficulty if the nodule overlaps the rib cage.
True DEX methods can identify calcium in the bone image while BS software solutions cannot. This is because BS software simply decreases the visualization of the rib cage in the image by identifying (segmenting the rib cage) and does not consider the tissue absorption characteristics at different energies as dual-energy subtraction does. Relevant information may be overly enhanced or obscured depending on the algorithm used
Reveal™ 35C: The First Mobile Dual-Energy Solution
Reveal™ 35C is the world’s first portable dual-energy X-ray detector, capable of achieving a maximum DQE of 75%. Utilizing SpectralDR™ technology, it produces dual-energy images that are proven to increase the visibility of lung nodules, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and more. SpectralDR™ gives the Reveal™ 35C X-ray detector the ability to see behind obstructive bone and even soft tissue, including behind the ribs, lungs, and even the heart. This is a momentous advancement in imaging technology that could potentially reduce instances of misdiagnosis.
Diagnostic and Patient Outcomes with SpectralDR™ X-Ray
Reveal™ 35C has undertaken various clinical trials, which have produced favorable results for patients and medical personnel alike. Reveal™ 35C has, in multiple instances, visualized lung lesions with 43% more visibility in contrast to traditional X-ray machines. Furthermore, our studies have found Reveal™ 35C to detect 33% more pneumonia cases thanks to its enhanced visualization. With the same SpectralDR™ technology, Reveal™ 35C is capable of visualizing medical devices and other discrepancies with heightened contrast and visibility. This achieves more confident diagnosing for clinicians, giving them the ability to administer faster and more effective treatment. As a whole, Reveal™ 35C has been shown to increase ICU diagnosis confidence by 57%, which will have the potential to impact patient recovery long-term.
Not only does this have an impact on diagnosis, but Reveal™ 35C’s portable applications limit potential complications during patient transfer. In the hospital, it’s ideal to limit patient transportation whenever possible, as it can potentially lead to contamination and safety concerns. Immobile patients present a logistical burden to hospital staff, who must quickly consider and decide on a method of transportation that is both safe and comfortable. Further issues regarding patient comfort arise when undergoing tests such as CT or MRI scans, which require patients to remain still for extended durations. For these types of scans, some patients will need a staff member to maneuver them onto and around the applicable medical equipment.
With Reveal™ 35C’s portable capabilities, hospitals are able to avoid these logistical issues without sacrificing imaging quality and effectiveness. Reveal™ 35C produces high quality images that match or — with the use of SpectralDR™ — even exceed that of traditional non-portable applications. It does so without the presence of motion artifacts, which is especially crucial when considering immobile patients who struggle to control their body movements. Reveal™ 35C enables a more comfortable and safe experience for patients with limited mobility, with high-quality imaging that improves confidence in diagnosing.
SpectralDR™ technology and the Reveal™ 35C portable X-ray detector highlight the potential of modern imaging solutions to overcome complications presented by patient immobility. By harnessing imaging products that enhance clarity and reduce the risks associated with repeat imaging, medical professionals are better equipped to provide accurate diagnoses without compromising patient safety or comfort. The portability of these systems alleviates logistical burdens and minimizes the challenges associated with transporting immobile patients. As we continue to refine our approaches to medical diagnostics, focusing on the needs of immobile patients will be crucial in improving healthcare outcomes.
Contact KA Imaging to learn more about their innovative technologies, and how they can be utilized in your medical facility today.
