Ghent University Hospital has taken a new 3D scanner into service. It’s the only scanner in the Benelux that can be used to make images of patients that are standing up. The equipment can visualise the impact gravity has on the human body and help to treat complex fractures from the hips to the toes. The scanner can be used to treat patients who are cross legged or are flatfooted.
The HiRise scanner produces 3D scans providing data regarding pressure on bones from the hip to the toes. Until now scans providing data about the impact of gravity could only be provided at foot level.
“The new scans provide greater perspective” explains radiologist Wouter Huysse. X-rays have been used to provide images of standing patients but these were not very detailed. “More data is now being collected and in time AI will allow the data to be read more quickly”.
Another advantage is the radiation level that is up to 20 times lower than in conventional scans.
Orthopaedists are enthusiastic: “It gives us a better picture of how prostheses and other orthopaedic equipment work” says Huysse. “It can also help in development. The scanner provides assistance in identifying invisible conflicts and that can help in the preparation of surgery”.
The scanner cost the hospital 300,000 euros, but a scan won’t set the patient back more than a conventional X-ray. “We will target the scanner’s use. It will only be used on certain complex fractures, injuries that are hard to view or that give continual trouble. Only in this way can the equipment provide added value”.