Technology raises thediagnostic imaging barrier
Cache Valley is once again the birthplace of a new technology. Cache Valley Specialty Hospital (CVSH) and Portal Inc. recently unveiled the new 1G Positioner, a device that attaches to radiology equipment and assists doctors and radiology technicians to better diagnose causes of back pain.
According to a brochure produced by Portal Inc., the problem with conventional MRI imaging is it does not show the patient’s spine as it actually appears when the patient is in such functional positions as standing, sitting or walking. A normal MRI is taken with the patient lying down, thus negating the effects of gravity on a patient’s spine.
CVSH MRI Technologist Rex Christensen said vertical MRI scanners have been developed which allow physicians to scan the patient while standing, but they may cost upward of several million dollars.
“The 1G Positioner costs virtually pennies compared to those machines,” Christensen said.
Christensen said the 1G Positioner is the first of its kind in the United States, but he expects the device to be widely-used by hospitals within the next year. The one being used by CVSH is simply a prototype, he said, but newer, perfected models are on the way.
Dr. Russell Fritz, noted San Francisco Bay area musculoskeletal radiologist, said the images obtained using the 1G Positioner “clearly demonstrate a decrease in the size of the neural foramen [a space in the spine through which nerves pass.]”
Dr. Gregory Hicken, orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the project, said the 1G Positioner could mean less pain now and in the future for those who suffer back and leg pain.
“The 1G Positioner enhances the effectiveness of current diagnostic procedures and allows physicians to more accurately diagnose injury and disease in a patient’s spine and joints,” Hicken said. “It will change the way back and leg imaging is done.
“According to results from medical studies conducted in the last five years, and what we see from images scanned with the 1G Positioner, a more accurate description of the problem is evident so we can treat it appropriately,” Hicken said.
Dr. Douglas Child, Cache Valley radiologist, said the 1G Positioner is a “solution to a common problem.” A current static MRI picture of a patient lying down doesn’t always show the entire story, he said.
“If you look at it from a surgical standpoint and ask yourself, ‘Is that nerve root in danger, is it being compressed and is that why the patient has some pain down the right leg?’ – you’re not sure,” Child said. “Providing objective evidence to the surgeon on what is happening when the patient is weight-bearing, will allow a more-accurate prediction of good surgical results and who will benefit from surgery.”
The 1G Positioner was tested and developed at CVSH’s MRI center. Dave Geary, CVSH chief executive officer, said one of the goals of the hospital is to provide opportunities for physicians to provide quality health care for patients in the most cost-effective manner.