Wire is a vestige of old school communications, when the distance between an electronic device and a plug-in was the farthest a medical image could be transmitted. Wireless connections have unshackled radiographic devices just as they have freed phones and computers. This radiographic liberation is presenting opportunities as well as convenience.
Carestream Health's new portable x-ray detector, showcased at the 2008 RSNA meeting and scheduled for routine shipment in 2009, promises the means for film-based radiography sites to make the transition to digital. Designed to fit into a standard bucky, either table- or wall-mounted, Carestream's DRX-1 promises the flexibility of computed radiography. Its solid-state design allows immediate data acquisitions, and its wireless transmitter sends the data directly to an acquisition console.
As this article went to press, the first of these units was scheduled to begin delivery in February.
While the DRX-1 exemplifies the effect wireless can have on radiography, it is not the only means for such changes. Viztek introduced at RSNA 2008 a portable DR detector that requires no modification to integrate with most existing wall stands and table buckys, according to the company.
And there are other sources for portable detectors.
Some are wired; others are wireless.
Trixell lays claim to being the first company in the world to commercialize a wireless flat-panel detector for medical applications. Canon Medical USA has been providing wired flat-panel detectors commercially for medical applications since 2001. Particularly remarkable is the light weight of these detectors. Carestream's DRX-1, for example, weighs just 8.5 pounds. The Viztek detector weighs 8.6 pounds. Trixell's Pixium 3543pR wireless detector checks in at 10.6 pounds.
Weight is an issue because of the applications for which these detectors are designed. Portable detectors allow difficult and unusual x-ray projections, a capability which comes in handy when working with immobilized patients or trauma patients. Swissray's ddRPortable is intended for chest and abdominal radiography of patients on stretchers or in wheelchairs, according to Christoph Knecht, marketing communication manager. Siemens Healthcare and Philips are also building wireless detectors into stationary digital radiography units. The Siemens Ysio (pronounced easy-O) DR system and Philips Eleva Wireless DR, a work-in-progress, were both shown at RSNA 2008. Swissray's ddRPortable, also shown as a work-in-progress, may become commercially available later this year.
