We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

MedImaging

Download Mobile App
Recent News Radiography MRI Ultrasound Nuclear Medicine General/Advanced Imaging Imaging IT Industry News

C-Arm Accessory Reduces Fluoroscopic Radiation Exposure

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 01 Oct 2020
Print article
Image: The Trace installed on the GE OEC 9900 Elite Mobile C-arm (Photo courtesy of ControlRad)
Image: The Trace installed on the GE OEC 9900 Elite Mobile C-arm (Photo courtesy of ControlRad)
An innovative collimating system reduces unnecessary radiation exposure during fluoroscopically guided procedures, without compromising image quality in the region of interest (ROI).

The ControlRad (Peachtree Corners, GA, USA) Trace system is designed to help balance dose reduction with the need to visualize structures inside the ROI when considered clinically advantageous. The resulting image has two parts: the unfiltered image inside the clinician-selected ROI, and the image outside the ROI, which has a lower-dose processed image, providing peripheral image context. Applications include vascular, cholangiography, endoscopic, urologic, orthopedic, neurologic, cardiac, critical care and emergency room procedures.

System components include the Trace Tablet, the Trace Filter, ControlRad Hardware, Software, and Firmware Modules, and the ControlRad communication interface. The Trace Tablet serves as operational control of the device via a graphical user interface (GUI) that enables the clinician to select the ROI. The semi-transparent Trace Filter reduces X-ray radiation outside the clinician-selected ROI, typically by 61% to 97%, and is installed on top of the C-arm’s collimator, and does not affect or modify its functionality.

The ControlRad Hardware, Software, and Firmware Modules control the Trace filter’s positioning, which is determined by the location of the clinician-selected ROI, and perform image processing. Finally, the ControlRad communication interface provides the data link between the various components of the ControlRad Trace Model 8 and the fluoroscopy system. The ControlRad Trace solution can be retrofitted onto existing mobile C-arms, reducing the barrier to technology adaptation.

“The ControlRad Trace system exceeded my expectations in reducing my radiation exposure, as well as the exposure to my patient and to my operating room team. There was no interruption of my normal workflow and zero loss to my image quality in the area where I was focused,” said orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino, MD, of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NY, USA). “I believe ControlRad Trace to be groundbreaking and one of the most important safety innovations that has been brought to market during my tenure as a surgeon.”

Related Links:
ControlRad

Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
Ultrasound System
Acclarix AX9
Ultrasound Software
UltraExtend NX
New
Ultrasound Table
Ergonomic Advantage (EA) Line

Print article

Channels

MRI

view channel
Image: Diamond dust offers a potential alternative to the widely used contrast agent gadolinium in MRI (Photo courtesy of Max Planck Institute)

Diamond Dust Could Offer New Contrast Agent Option for Future MRI Scans

Gadolinium, a heavy metal used for over three decades as a contrast agent in medical imaging, enhances the clarity of MRI scans by highlighting affected areas. Despite its utility, gadolinium not only... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: The multi-spectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) machine generates images of biological tissues (Photo courtesy of University of Missouri)

New Imaging Technique Monitors Inflammation Disorders without Radiation Exposure

Imaging inflammation using traditional radiological techniques presents significant challenges, including radiation exposure, poor image quality, high costs, and invasive procedures. Now, new contrast... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more