Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children is only the fourth hospital in Texas to employ an advanced imaging technology called EOS®, to be used in specific patient cases. The system produces long length images of the spine and lower extremities with significantly less radiation than is normally required using other imaging tools. There is also the additional capability of creating 3D images of the bony skeleton that can provide our surgeons a more complete review of a patient’s anatomy for treatment planning.

EOS has the unique ability to simultaneously generate two views of the entire spine or lower extremities in approximately 10 to 15 seconds. Today, the most common alternative method of digital X-ray requires at least 30 minutes. This added efficiency provides a better experience to patients and their families.

The system captures weight-bearing 3D images in the upright or squatting positions that are 1:1, meaning there are no areas of the scan that are distorted or magnified. By using these images, Scottish Rite Hospital surgeons can more accurately understand the unique aspects of a patient’s skeletal deformity and better prepare for surgery.
In addition, unique EOS software created specifically for pediatric patients, called MicroDose, exposes the patient to six to eight times less radiation than traditional X-ray equipment.

EOS imaging is based in Paris, with a U.S. subsidiary in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The hospital’s radiology team is working closely with medical physicists to examine and maximize the potential capabilities and efficiencies of this groundbreaking technology.

**This article was featured in the 2016 Volume 1 Rite Up Magazine. View the magazine online.