Since its discovery in 1895 by Wilhelm Röntgen, X-ray has been a useful tool that improves healthcare in every aspect. Whether you are looking at applications in the medical, veterinary, or NDT industries, X-ray stands as a significant asset to its users. In terms of medical imaging, when looking into the chest cavity, limbs, skull, or other areas, X-ray allows for full visualization within the body. As medical illnesses evolve, it becomes increasingly important to understand why providing more detailed images via X-ray to radiologists is important and how that can be done. To provide an accurate diagnosis, radiologists need to see everything in intense detail.
Reveal™ 35C Images
If the technology already shows us inside whatever the subject is, why does quality X-ray matter? Regardless of where you look, X-ray companies are always looking to evolve their technologies to provide clearer images, at a quicker pace, for an affordable price tag. Healthcare is governed by metrics of quality, cost, and access. When technologies come out, they tend to focus on just one of those aspects. Good technologies can obtain 2, however, there is often one metric that poses as a trade-off. The most advanced X-ray technologies can address all 3 metrics: a technology that is top-grade, affordable, and accessible to anyone. KA Imaging has created a solution that addresses all three metrics: the Reveal™ 35C powered by SpectralDR™.
The ground-breaking Dual-Energy Subtraction (DES) technology used by Reveal™ is called SpectralDR™. With KA Imaging’s patented SpectralDR™ technology, the full spectrum and multiple energies are acquired in one standard chest X-ray exposure, thus maintaining the radiation dose of a conventional chest X-ray. The technology produces sharp X-ray images that contain zero motion artifacts. SpectralDR™ offers improved visualization of lung nodules3, pneumonia2, line and tube tips, pneumothorax9, retained surgical objects and more. This 3-in-1 solution simultaneously acquires 3 images in 1 single exposure, improving visualization of bone and tissue.
With technologies such as SpectralDR™, radiologists are equipped with extremely detailed images of the scanned subject. Radiologists can scan their desired subject and make determinations with higher accuracy and confidence than before. In simpler terms, it is like comparing black and white to coloured photos. The dual-energy X-ray detector captures 3 images in a single exposure, providing clear images with zero motion artifacts. Furthermore, the device is fully mobile, allowing high-quality X-ray where moving the patient may be a challenge. It is the world’s first portable dual-energy detector, and can be taken to the bedside of patients, as well as in the field.
To further understand the value of adding dual-energy images, examine this real-life scenario. In this case, a radiologist was provided only with a standard DR image. Upon initial examination, no diagnosis was made. It was only after being given the spectral images captured by Reveal™ that the radiologist caught pneumothorax present in the lung. Thanks to the dual-energy images, this patient was treated without fatal complications.
In another circumstance, a patient was presented to the ER with shortness of breath, in conjunction with chronic pain in their posterior thoracic region upon taking a large breath in. The reading radiologist noticed a suspicious mass-like opacity in the lateral view. The radiologist stated that only because of the DE images, could they tell the opacity wasn’t a lung mass, but instead far less concerning bony outcroppings from the thoracic vertebrae. If it were not for Reveal™ 35C providing these DE images, the patient would have been sent for an immediate CT scan, to rule out a lung mass. Reveal™ 35C enabled the patient to be spared from considerable dosage and worry.
Quality X-ray leads to more efficient, confident, and accurate readings by the radiologist in addition to a happier patient who has the satisfaction of knowing they received the best care possible. Thanks to the rapid technological advancement in X-ray, radiologists can see much more in better detail. Granting access to clearer images that provide more information reduces time, costs, and worry for both the radiologist and patient. Most dual-energy systems can cost as high as half a million dollars, whereas KA Imaging’s Reveal™ is highly affordable at a fraction of this price. Especially in a world experiencing a new normal following the effects of COVID-19, dual-energy imaging can reduce errors4 in the industries that adopt it by giving more information for less time and money1.
Resources
[1] Fortune Business Insights. Impact of COVID-19 on the Medical Devices Market Size, Share, Industry Analysis and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/covid-19-impact-medical-devices-market-102629
[2] Martini, Katharina, Marco Baessler, Stephan Baumueller, and Thomas Frauenfelder. “Diagnostic accuracy and added value of dual-energy subtraction radiography compared to standard conventional radiography using computed tomography as standard of reference.” PloS one 12, no. 3 (2017): e0174285.
[3] Oda, Seitaro, Kazuo Awai, Kenji Suzuki, Yumi Yanaga, Yoshinori Funama, Heber MacMahon, and Yasuyuki Yamashita. “Performance of radiologists in detection of small pulmonary nodules on chest radiographs: effect of rib suppression with a massive-training artificial neural network.” American Journal of Roentgenology 193, no. 5 (2009): W397-W402.
[4] Parakh, Anushri, et al. “Recognizing and Minimizing Artifacts at Dual-Energy CT.” Radiographics : a Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Feb. 2021, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33606565/.
[5] Taschetta-Millane, T. Insight on the Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Imaging. Imaging Technology News. https://www.itnonline.com/article/insight-impact-covid-19-medical-imaging
[6] The Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Radiology Practices. Radiology. RSNA. https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2020201495
[7] The Effect of COVID-19 on Hospital Financial Health. American Hospital Association. https://www.aha.org/guidesreports/2020-07-20-effect-covid-19-hospital-financial-health
[8] The Massive Impact of COVID-19 on US Health Care. Brink News. https://www.brinknews.com/the-massive-impact-of-covid-19-on-us-health-care/
[9] Urbaneja, A., Dodin, G., Hoosu, G., et al. (2018) Added Value of Bone Subtraction in Dual-energy Digital Radiography in the Detection of Pneuomothorax: Impact of Reader Expertise and Medical Specialty. The Association of University Radiologists. Elsevier Inc
