Vijaya Diagnostics, a Hyderabad-based diagnostic medicare services centre, has announced the launch of CR Digital X-Ray system at its Ameerpet centre. This system eliminates the use of films by substitution of sensitive photo-stimulable phosphor plates with sensors and it also minimises the patient's exposure to radiation.
According to Dr Surender Reddy, Managing Director of VDC, while conventional X-Ray utilises the effect of X-Ray radiation passing through the human body on screen films to produce images, the use of film has been eliminated in Digital X-Ray substituting it with phosphor plates and sensors.
These plates, when inserted into the digitiser unit, produce high resolution X-Ray images, which could be viewed on a workstation monitor. The new technology would substantially reduce the patient exposure to radiation, while improving the resolution, and would offer the flexibility of processing or transmitting the images digitally, Dr Reddy said.
The new technology is called Computed Radiography (CR) where the images are sharp. They can be taken on a laser film or transmitted to another doctor for a second opinion. CR includes the entire process of creating a digital image - acquisition, processing, image presentation and managing image data. It also enhances image quality, control and diagnostic confidence. And more importantly, it reduces the exposure time to radiation.
CR technology has already proved its mark in mammography (screening for breast cancer) where the pictures have been able to spot early lesions or calcification, leading to early treatment and better results.
According to Dr Reddy, Digital images can be moved to laser imagers for hard copy documentation and magnetic disk or digital linear tape for long-term storage. Digital images can also be delivered for soft copy display.
According to the routine long plate used in the X-Ray film, the new technology uses an ADC cassette containing a photostimulable phosphor imaging page and featuring a memory chip for storing the data. The cassette made by Agfa is light-weight and is made of synthetic material.
The nine centres of VDC offer radiology, lab services and nuclear medicine modalities. According to Dr Reddy, around 25 per cent of these services being in high speciality areas, other diagnostic centres in the state did not offer these services.
Typically most specialised investigations require high capital cost but the return on these were low since the number of patients asking for these tests was limited. Hence most labs and hospitals prefer not to undertake these tests on their own. VDC has a dedicated speciality lab division to cater to the outsourced needs of these hospitals and clinics allowing them to expand their diagnosis and treatment options, Dr Reddy said.