Day 1 UKRC: A Look at Radiology Trends and Cone beam CT R&D Projects

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David H. Foos, Clinical Applications Research, Carestream

Editor’s note:   UKRC opens today in Manchester, UK. The annual Congress of  The British Institute of Radiology, The Society and College of Radiographers, and The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, covers all aspects of diagnostic imaging. Before heading to the show,  David H. Foos, Clinical Applications Research, Carestream, weighed in on the hot topics and R&D projects he’ll be focused on during his time at UKRC.

Q: UKRC opens today.  How many times have you visited the show?

I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a variety of scientific conferences and trade shows over many years, including the RSNA, SIIM, SPIE Medical Imaging, European Congress of Thoracic Radiology, CARS, ECR, and Society of Thoracic Radiologists. However, this will be my first time attending the UKRC.  I am very much looking forward to the scientific component of the congress.

Q: Give us your take on the current trends in radiology. What’s your view on radiation dose?  

One of the important trends in radiology is the increasing attention that is being given to issues surrounding radiation dose. Much of this attention has focused on CT and fluoroscopy procedures, but the Image Gently initiative, whose goal is to change practice by promoting radiation protection in the imaging of children, includes projection x-ray as well. A promising new approach the emergence of quantitative imaging, for instance, measurement from imagery of the extent of COPD. Such techniques offer the potential for improving the staging of disease, which, in turn, can help physicians in making treatment decisions and in communicating prognoses to patients.

Q: What’s happening in the world of R&D at Carestream?  What projects will you be discussing at UKRC? 

We have a number of exciting projects, including an ongoing project on cone beam CT for volumetric imaging of extremities. The system design is unique in that it has the capability to obtain isotropic high-resolution 3D images of weight-bearing knees and ankles, which is a procedure that is currently unable to be performed with standard diagnostic CT systems. This is a collaborative project with Johns Hopkins University Hospital. A clinical system is currently installed at the hospital, and patients are being imaged under a study protocol. In addition, there are a number of other novel advanced 3D and spectral imaging technologies we are investigating in that have potential applications for improved imaging in the ICU, ED, and orthopaedics, and in areas outside the hospital such as in veterinary medicine.

Attending UKRC? Come see us in stand 99.