Gaming Technology Could Improve X-Ray Precision While Reducing Radiation Exposure

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 22 Dec 2015

The results of a new feasibility study have shown that a new technology based on the Microsoft (Richmond, WA, USA) Xbox gaming system could afford a new approach to imaging patients.

The feasibility study was presented at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA 2015) meeting in Chicago, USA. The aim of the new imaging technology is to produce high-quality X-rays with minimal radiation exposure, especially for imaging children.

Image: A new imaging approach using Xbox gaming technology alerts X-ray technicians to factors that could adversely affect image quality, reducing the number of X-rays needed and patient radiation exposure (Photo courtesy of Steven Don).

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, USA) adapted the hands-free Xbox technology using proprietary software developed for the Microsoft Kinect system. The software coupled with the Kinect system was used to measure thickness of body parts, monitor motion, position, and the X-ray field-of-view, just before the X-Ray image was taken. The parameters were monitored in real-time to alert technologists of anything that could compromise image quality, reducing the need for additional images and radiation exposure.

High-quality X-Rays are crucial for determining clinical diagnoses, and treatment. The new technology is especially useful for imaging children because they are more sensitive to radiation, and have a greater variation in body sizes. X-ray settings and radiation exposure depends on the thickness of the body part being imaged.

Steven Don, MD, associate professor of radiology at the Washington university’ Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, said, “The goal is to produce high-quality X-ray images at a low radiation dose without repeating images. It sounds surprising to say that the Xbox gaming system could help us to improve medical imaging, but our study suggests that this is possible. To achieve the best image quality while minimizing radiation exposure, X-ray technique needs to be based on body-part thickness. The gaming software has an infrared sensor to measure body-part thickness automatically without patient contact. Patients, technologists and radiologists want the best quality X-rays at the lowest dose possible without repeating images. This technology is a tool to help achieve that goal.”

Related Links:
Washington University School of Medicine