Carestream has become a sponsor of the MUST Research Project to take place during the 2014 Tor des Géants Endurance Trail Race held between 7-14 September in Italy. Carestream will supply image management and archiving services from its cloud-based Vue PACS platform for the MRI mobile unit to be used by the project's researchers and physiologists, both at the base camp during the race and from scientists' home locations after the race.
The Tor des Géants, the world’s most extreme ultra-endurance trail, takes place in the Aosta Valley, on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, with 660 runners braving a 330-kilometre course ascending a total of 24,000 metres which has to be completed in less than 150 hours. The MUST project's team of researchers have chosen this event to better understand the impact of ultra-endurance on the body, using the most sophisticated medical imaging equipment available. This is the first time that an international team of researchers from Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the universities of Lyon and Saint-Etienne (France), Lausanne (Switzerland), Aosta (Italy) and Liège (Belgium) will be travelling along the course itself to study the athletes as closely as possible.
Pierre Croisille, Professor of Radiology at the University Hospital Saint-Étienne, one of Carestream's leading PACS customers in France, is coordinating the project. The study has a number of goals including offering clinicians new methodologies and their validations for improved patient care and providing new insights on muscle physiology in such extreme conditions.
"Our radiology expertise already serves medical professionals in the areas of sports medicine and orthopaedics and sponsorship of this project ties in neatly with our activities in those specialty markets," said Christophe Chapot, HCIS Business Development Manager, Western Europe. "Our digital imaging systems are being adopted by sports organisations because they offer excellent image quality and immediate image access. Having the ability to accurately assess an athlete's condition can help prevent further injury. We are also investing in the research and development of new imaging systems for use in sports medicine that will offer additional advantages, particularly for diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries."
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About the Tor des Géants Endurance Trail Race
The race takes place in the Aosta Valley, starting and finishing in Courmayeur, a town and commune in northern Italy. The total length of the race is 330 km which must be completed with a maximum time of 150 hours. During the tour, the runners cross 34 municipalities, 25 mountain passes over 2000 metres, 30 alpine lakes and 2 natural parks. The minimum altitude is 300 metres and the highest is 3,300 metres with a total elevation gain of about 24,000 metres. Due to the difference between the highest point and the lowest point, climatic conditions can be a difficult obstacle with competitors encountering all weather conditions sun, rain, wind and even snow.
About Carestream Health
Carestream is a worldwide provider of dental and medical imaging systems and IT solutions; X-ray imaging systems for non-destructive testing; and advanced materials for the precision films and electronics markets - all backed by a global service and support network.