Every day, people are exposed to minimal levels of naturally-occurring radiation from their surroundings. However, according to a report by the American Medical Association, over the past two decades levels of radiation exposure from artificial sources—primarily from medical imaging—have been increasing.
Studies have also shown children in particular face potential adverse effects from excessive medical radiation. Radiation damage is cumulative over one’s lifespan, so the more radiation can be reduced in children, the better.
Shriners Hospitals for Children knows reducing exposure to radiation for children is important, which is why they have recently installed the latest technology in orthopaedic imaging—The EOS Imaging System.
The EOS Imaging System captures high quality head-to-toe images with unparalleled benefits in terms of reduced radiation dose, quicker scanning procedures and improved diagnostic content.
The Spokane Shriners Hospital is the latest hospital in the Shriners Hospital system to have installed EOS. The Shriners Hospital in Spokane treats kids from Washington, Montana, Idaho and Alaska, and no other hospital throughout the region has this cutting edge technology!
Lower Radiation
This groundbreaking technology will produce an x-ray of the whole body in 3D using a fraction of the radiation dose it would take to do with conventional radiography—up to nine times less.
The EOS Imaging System images are taken in a standing or sitting position, and is best suited primarily for spine conditions, lower limb deficiencies and hip conditions, where the frequency of radiographic images can be high.
Shriners Hospitals for Children - Spokane is a pediatric orthopaedic hospital specializing in conditions affecting the muscles, bones and joints, and relies on multiple radiographic images for diagnostic and surgery and treatment planning purposes. One of the Shriners Hospitals for Children’s specialties is treating spine conditions such as scoliosis; adolescent scoliosis patients may undergo radiographic imaging every three to six months, resulting in up to 20-plus scans over the course of treatment.
The pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at the Spokane Shriners Hospital aim for using the lowest possible radiation dose in pediatric radiology. “As a parent, we want the best for our kids. The fact that Shriners Hospitals for Children has made the investment in this amazing state-of-the-art x-ray machine which delivers lower radiation for my daughter Jessica, just reinforces my respect in the medical delivery from the Spokane Shriners Hospital,” says Dana Bellefeuille, Shriners Hospital patient parent.
In addition to the health benefits and the diagnostic benefits, the EOS Imaging machine is a kid friendly machine. “The kids love it! Every week someone tells me it looks like a spaceship”, says the hospital’s Radiology Manager, Lucy Weidert. “Sometimes getting x-rayed can be scary for a child. With the EOS, the fear disappears and they are excited to get in the machine, it is open on top and in the front so they don’t feel closed in.”
Improved Diagnostics
3D weight-bearing images of children in an upright, standing position gives the Shriners Hospital medical staff a more accurate view of the spine and lower limbs to better evaluate and analyze the bones, joints and ligaments from multiple angles.
This type of imaging provide views of all areas of the body with one image, rather than stitching together multiple images. It gives the doctors an accurate view of the musculoskeletal system that is essential to diagnosis and treatment planning.
Lucy, Radiology Manager, adds “It’s faster. The EOS machine can image the entire spine in less than 20 seconds. EOS will take two views at the same time. Usually, patients getting spine images have a picture done from the back and another done from the side. The EOS allows us to take both 2D pictures at the same time. Two pictures at once means it is faster for our patients.”
“EOS represents a breakthrough in orthopaedic imaging. The high-quality images in appropriate patients enable our physicians to make more informed diagnosis and treatment decisions. And the unparalleled benefits in terms of reduced radiation dose and quicker scanning procedure is what is best for our patients,” said Glen Baird, MD, Chief of Staff, Shriners Hospitals for Children - Spokane. “Shriners Hospitals for Children- Spokane is one of only a handful of medical centers in the United States that can offer this technology, we are excited to bring this technology to our region.”
Whether it is a simple fracture or a complex orthopaedic condition, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane has been caring for kids in our region for over 90 years. Providing the EOS technology gives the expert pediatric orthopaedic surgeons a new level of visual detail which will aid diagnosis and help determine the best treatment strategies – at a much lower radiation dose. It is just one more example of how the Spokane Shriners Hospital continues to invest in and apply what is best for kids with orthopaedic conditions in our area.