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CNRS/ENSAM Joint Release
A new x-ray imaging system making it possible to obtain a 3D reconstruction
of the osteoarticular system, installed at the Biomechanics Laboratory
(LBM) (CNRS – ENSAM1, Paris), was inaugurated on April
4, 2003. This undertaking is the result of a very close partnership between
LBM, LIO (Laboratoire de Recherches en Imagerie et Orthopédie,
Montréal, Canada), the radiology and orthopedics departments of
the Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul in Paris as well as the company,
Biospace Instruments. This new digital radiography technique aims at improving
the follow-up and treatment of pathologies such as scoliosis, osteoporosis
and osteoarthritis.
LBM, a leading high-tech mechanics laboratory,
encourages joint research projects between researchers, clinical practitioners
and industry in order to find everyday applications of biomechanical research
for the improvement of bone pathologies. Digital modeling, the result
of know-how in the fields of applied mathematics and geometry, is systematically
used for in vitro experiments and in vivo clinical analyses.
The EOS system will considerably improve x-ray exam techniques as well
as research into modeling and its biomedical applications. This system
is unique in that it combines the advantages of 3D imaging, very low irradiation
doses, full-body scanning (providing doctors with an overall view) and
dual energy for bone structure characterization (osteoporosis, etc.).
On the basis of just two very low-dose irradiation x-rays, it is possible
to obtain a three-dimensional image of a bone structure (backbone, pelvis,
knee, etc.) with a precision close to that obtained by scanner reconstruction.
This result is the combination of two major innovations:
- A digital radiography scanning system using microstrip
gas detectors, developed through research carried out by Georges Charpak
and Biospace. This system makes it possible to take very low-dose irradiation
x-rays (5 to 10 times less than conventional x-rays), with high quality
images and a wide dynamic range (the same image can be used to explore
different tissues: bone, lungs, etc.). In the EOS system, two sets of
these detectors are placed at a 90° angle.
- A new modeling technique using software capable
of making a precise 3D reconstruction of the external envelop of an
osteoarticular structure from a simple pair of x-rays (front and side),
designed by teams from LBM and LIO, in conjunction with the Hôpital
Saint Vincent de Paul in Paris.
This new x-ray technique will make it possible to improve the diagnosis,
planning and follow-up of orthopedic and surgical treatment of pathologies
of the osteoarticular system, particularly those of the backbone, pelvis
and knee such as scoliosis, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. In the area
of research, the EOS system contributes to major progress in terms of
clinical and biomechanical analysis tools as well as in the exploration
of mechanical characteristics of patients' internal tissues by methods
requiring very low doses of irradiation.
Notes
1- Ecole Nationale Supérieure
d’Arts et Métiers
Researcher contact:
Wafa Skalli
Tel: +33 1 44 24 63 64
e-mail: wafa.skalli@paris.ensam.fr
Press contact :
Muriel Ilous
Tel : +33 1 44 96 43 09
e-mail : muriel.ilous@cnrs-dir.fr
CNRS contact – Engineering Sciences Department:
Helena Devillers
Tel: 01 44 96 42 32
e-mail: helena.devillers@cnrs-dir.fr
ENSAM communication contact:
Monique Rubichon
Tel: 01 44 24 64 36
e-mail: monique.rubichon@ensam.fr
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