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MILWAUKEE (5/5/2010) - Scanner offers sharper, one-pass imaging, and lower dose radiation when treating children with scoliosis and other chronic orthopedic conditions.
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin has installed an EOS low-dose radiation scanner, one of two in a pediatric hospital in the nation. Children's Hospital, located in Milwaukee, is one of the top-rated pediatric hospitals in the country. The Variety Orthopedic Center at Children's Hospital primarily will use the scanner to aid in treating children with scoliosis and other chronic orthopedic conditions that require frequent full-spine imaging. The scanner was funded, in part, by a donation from Variety-The Children's Charity of Wisconsin. The EOS scanner will be in use starting Monday, May 10.
"The EOS scanner will provide us full front and side view images, similar to CT scanners, but with fewer radiation risks," said John G. Thometz, MD, medical director, Orthopedic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and professor of Orthopedics, The Medical College of Wisconsin. "EOS imaging will offer us greater precision in our surgical planning resulting in even better and safer care for our patients."
"We are extremely pleased to be able to provide this higher level of imaging to our patients," said Channing Tassone, MD, orthopedic surgeon, Children's Hospital. "We image our scoliosis patients every six months until skeletal maturity in order to follow their growth and development and to determine their course of treatment. To now be able to perform these studies with much less radiation is incredibly beneficial." Tassone also is an associate professor of Orthopedics at the Medical College.
EOS can capture head-to-toe images of patients in a standing, weight-bearing position with a dramatic reduction in radiation dose – up to 10 times less than a conventional X-ray and up to 89 percent less than a CT (computed tomography) scan of the spine. Additionally, EOS images are designed to provide sharp detail and empower physicians to better diagnose and plan an effective course of treatment.
The Orthopedic Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is one of the busiest in the nation. Orthopedic surgeons in the center provide state-of-the art treatment to more than 25,000 children annually for both routine and rare pediatric orthopedic conditions.
"Variety is thrilled to make it possible for Children's Hospital to continue to provide the best state-of-the-art care for Wisconsin children challenged by orthopedic health problems," said Gerise LaSpisa, executive director, Variety-The Children's Charity of Wisconsin. "By bringing EOS to the Variety Orthopedic Center, we ensure that every year, thousands of children will benefit from this cutting-edge technology."
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