Friday, August 3, 2018

Facts About Mobile C Arm

By Jerry Thomas


The C arm fluoroscopic X ray device is used in diagnostic imagining and a number of minimally invasive surgeries. Most of the time, they are used in operating rooms (ORs) in a number of procedures where they aid in visualizing. For example, they are used in visualizing orthopedics, neurology procedures, kidney drainage, pain management, cardiac procedure, gastroenterology, percutaneous valve replacements, neuro stimulation and vascular surgery among many others.

In the C-arm market, the players available are few in the United States. Some of the players in this market are GE Healthcare, Siemens, Ziehm Imaging, and Philips. There are two classifications of mobile C arm sizes. These sizes are mini and standard size. The size of mini C-arms is smaller and they are used in sports medicine, podiatric, and orthopedic. Mini C-arms are mostly found in clinics and are used in applications that are lighter.

Outside the United States, there are also several producers of these machines. Examples of companies that lead in the market outside of the United States are Hitachi, Shimadzu, Ziehn, and Philips. Ziehm is a German-based company that is also a market leader in the whole of the European continent. It entered the US market a few years ago and continues to push its way in strongly.

The current version of these machines is able to aid 3-D navigation unlike the earlier versions. They also contain image processing software which aids in improving the capability of the system and the quality of the image. The image is improved in a way that cardiac and vascular models of these systems use MTS, advanced processing algorithms, and motion tolerant subtraction. The algorithm gives real time subtraction without the use of mask images.

The MTS gives the surgeon the capability of performing complete extremity run-off with one contrast media injection and one imaging run. Some machines are designed with the intention of reducing the dose that patients are exposed to during surgery. Other features that are incorporated into modern models of C-arms include touch-screen interface, digital subtraction angiography, laser aiming guides, and procedure roadmapping. These features allow for easier planning of vascular procedures with shorter fluoroscopy times and minimum amounts of contrast media.

Most contemporary C-arms are intended to utilize image intensifiers. CCD cameras are also used. CCD is the abbreviation for charge-coupled device. Ziehm was the first to introduce flat-panel detectors when it presented its VFD flat panel detector mobile c-arm. Later, Philips released its Veradius system in 2009.

According to the advantages cited by manufacturers, flat-panel detectors are capable of producing images of better quality as compared to their predecessors. Also, these machines are smaller in size and can therefore take up less space in the OR. This leaves the operation team with more space to move and conduct the procedure. Other systems also get enough space.

Having a bigger field of view is also an advantage of flat-panel detectors. Geometrical distortions do not affect this field of view at all. Flat-panel detectors are not affected by magnetic distortion that frequently affects other machines. Because of this, the system can be positioned freely within the OR.




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