EOS Imaging Introduces Micro Dose Feature

Paris, France-based EOS Imaging, a 2-D/3-D orthopedic imaging company, has introduced a new micro dose feature for pediatric imaging. The company launched the technology at the 2013 Journées Françaises de Radiologie (JFR).

In its conference presentation, EOS discussed how people are exposed to minimal levels of naturally-occurring radiation from their surroundings every day. However, according to the American Medical Associattion, levels of radiation exposure from artificial sources—primarily from medical imaging—has increased by 600 percent over the past two decades. Children in particular face potential adverse effects from excessive medical radiation, including an increased risk of radiation-induced cancer later in life, and those children that suffer from specific conditions, such as scoliosis, can receive very high levels of radiation.

EOS already offers a low dose image capability for diagnosis, treatment planning and monitoring in children. This existing offering exposes children to six to nine times less radiation than computer radiography with equal or better resulting image quality, claims the company. The new EOS micro dose feature unveiled at JFR reportedly affords up to seven times less radiation than the company’s current low dose offering.

“The EOS imaging system already holds a clear advantage in the continued assessment of children with radiographs because it is the lowest-dose 2-D imaging offering available,” said Professor Guy Sebag, pediatric imaging department head of Robert Debré Hospital and EOS user. “Micro dose will now afford physicians the safest imaging technology possible to monitor disease progression, in particular in pathologies which require frequent monitoring. At these extremely low dose levels there will be no more second thoughts onto whether we should or not take a control exam if we think it is necessary, and parents will also be reassured that we are not taking any risk for their child.”

“To bring the dose level of a pediatric radiograph to the level of days of natural background radiation on earth is for our physician customers, for their patients and for ourselves a fantastic achievement in the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle,” said Marie Meynadier, CEO of EOS imaging. “EOS’ progression from low dose to micro dose imaging highlights the original principle behind our Nobel Prize-winning detection technology – to plan and monitor orthopedic treatments using the lowest possible dose of radiation with the best possible image quality.”

EOS’ micro dose feature will be proposed as an option in all new EOS imaging system installations as well as in existing systems.