Agfa HealthCare announces that the pediatric radiology department of University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven) in Belgium has chosen to install a mobile DX-D 100 direct radiography (DR) solution with DX-D 35C digital wireless detector for its neonatal intensive care unit (ICU). The solution was selected to meet the extremely high and stringent requirements of this department: "The smallest children need the most sophisticated imaging techniques," explains MD.,PhD. Marleen Smet, Radiology, UZ Leuven.
Medical imaging supports short- and long-term care
UZ Leuven is one of Belgium's largest hospitals, with nearly 2000 beds and a staff of some 8800. It offers a combination of research, teaching and multidisciplinary patient care. The neonatal ICU has 40 beds. Patients can range from extremely premature infants weighing only 500 grams, to full-term babies weighing between 2500-4000 grams.
Medical imaging is very important for the short- and long-term care and health of these patients: early diagnosis supports improved therapy, which must be closely followed. Patients must also be carefully monitored for potential complications. This includes e.g. follow-up of lung desease and abdomen and control of external supports such as catheters.
Dose control, resolution and dedicated image processing
In total, the neonatal intensive care unit carries out an average of 1039 X-rays per year. Many patients need multiple X-rays. Controlling radiation dose is especially important, because of the patients' increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation.
As a result, the technical requirements for a mobile DR solution were very stringent, including a sensitive detector with high resolution, correct collimation, accurate acquisition settings (weight adapted) and adapted image post processing.
UZ Leuven decided to adopt Agfa HealthCare's mobile DX-D 100 with DX-D 35C digital wireless detector, due to the excellent MUSICA image quality and the user-friendliness of the system. This includes the easy manipulation of the X-ray tube, the smooth maneuvering of the system and the long battery life. In addition, they appreciated the scientific collaboration with Agfa HealthCare, studying dose control and reduction.
Confident, convenient mobility and image quality
The mobile DX-D 100 offers excellent image quality, flexible handling and fast imaging that can be validated immediately. The convenient dimensions of the DX-D 35C make it an excellent solution for imaging of premature infants. With its smaller-than-standard 35 x 27.4 cm effective image size, and 38.4 x 30.7 cm detector housing size, it can fit into an incubator X-ray tray.
The solution comes with MUSICA image processing, specially tuned for neonatal post processing. It offers optimal visualization of low-contrast details next to high-contrast structures, resulting in a nicely balanced display of both soft tissue and overlapping bone structures, high level of detail in the mediastinum, visualization of subtle details in the abdomen and sharp trabecular and cortical bone. There is little or no need for extra manual post-processing, and it provides consistent, high image quality (avoiding retakes) and great detail, as well as improved workflow. The high image quality also means potential dose reduction for patients and operators.
"DR systems vary a lot, but the DX-D 100 and DX-D 35C digital wireless detector definitely meet our specific needs and support our workflow in many ways," comments Prof. Smet. "We are one of the largest neonatal ICUs in Belgium, so this is a critical issue. The wireless detector gives us instant availability, which speeds the workflow for everyone from the radiographer, to the radiologist, to the pediatrician. Even the on/off switch on the detector helps, by extending battery life. The MUSICA image processing was also key for us, with its consistent high image quality. Our nurses and radiologists are pleased that the detector fits in both the bucky X-ray tray under the incubator and in the incubator: not all detectors do!"
She continues, "We are also very happy with Agfa HealthCare's service. The relationship with Agfa HealthCare is overall excellent, and we are working on a study with them to evaluate what dose reduction will be possible without impacting image quality. There are a lot of factors, so it is quite complex. We are pleased with Agfa HealthCare's collaboration!"
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About Agfa
The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world's leading companies in imaging and information technology. Agfa develops manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), for the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare), and for specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa is headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries around the globe. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 3,091 million euro in 2012.
About Agfa HealthCare
Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading global provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions. The company has nearly a century of healthcare experience and has been a pioneer on the healthcare IT market since the early 1990's. Today Agfa HealthCare designs, develops and delivers state-of-the-art systems for capturing, managing and processing diagnostic images and clinical/administrative information for hospitals and healthcare facilities, as well as contrast media solutions to enable effective medical imaging results. The company has sales offices and agents in over 100 markets worldwide. Sales for Agfa HealthCare in 2012 were 1,212 million euro.