World’s First Single Exposure Portable Dual-Energy X-Ray Detector Identifies 25% More Cases of Pneumonia, Including COVID-19

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 09 Dec 2021

Image: Reveal 35C (Photo courtesy of KA Imaging)

The world’s first single exposure portable dual-energy X-ray detector was shown to detect 25% more pneumonia cases (including COVID-19) than traditional X-ray in an ongoing clinical trial.

KA Imaging (Waterloo, ON, Canada) has developed Reveal 35C, the world’s first single exposure portable dual-energy X-ray detector. Reveal is retrofittable and can be called a detector-side dual-energy upgrade: simply by replacing the detector, any existing X-ray system can be upgraded to dual-energy. With the same radiation dose as a chest X-ray, it creates three images without motion artifacts (standard digital X-ray, soft tissue and bone), giving the ability to see the lungs and soft tissue without having bones.

Reveal can replace existing X-ray detectors and provide radiologists with unobstructed front and lateral views of the lungs and bones, which can aid in the visualization of pneumonia, fractures, catheters (i.e. tubes and PICC lines), and masses with high sensitivity. The soft tissue and bone images are sharp and free of motion artifacts, thereby increasing diagnostic sensitivity. Reveal can be taken to the bedside of patients, as well as in the field, making it the world’s first single exposure dual-energy X-ray detector that can be used in both fixed and mobile/portable applications.

Reveal has a unique triple stacked layer design, allowing for easy integration, high quantum efficiency. Fixed dual-energy systems can cost as high as half a million dollars, whereas Reveal is highly affordable at less than ¼ of this price. Hospitals can benefit immediately from higher sensitivity X-ray imaging by simply adding dual energy capability to any installed fixed or portable X-ray machines. Unlike other dual-energy solutions, Reveal uses the same radiation dose as a regular chest X-ray, allowing for lateral dual-energy images for the first time.

“It's good for radiologists, who can access supplementary dual energy X-ray images for faster and easier reading,” explained Amol Karnick, President and CEO of KA Imaging. “It's good for imaging technologists, who can offer patients more comfort by bringing the detector to the point of care and getting high-quality images even in challenging settings such as critical care units; it's good for administrators, who can optimize the use of other equipment across multiple departments; and it is especially good for patients, who have more comfort and early access to treatment for diseases that could go unnoticed until they become more serious.”

Related Links:
KA Imaging