C-arm remanufacturer forges novel fluoro system

From its roots in the early 1990s as a remanufacturer of C-arms, Imaging3 has branched out to develop a diagnostic system that can produce 3D x-ray images in real-time. Since 2002, the Burbank, CA-based company has been working on the Dominion digital multimodality device, a portable fluoroscopy system mounted on an O-shaped gantry. The system can acquire and instantly construct high-resolution images from data captured as the imaging chain spins 360° around the patient.

"It takes tenths of a second to get eight images of a patient as the x-rays go around the O," said Mike Nesson, vice president of business development at Imaging3.

The work-in-progress Dominion is set to roll off the production line by year's end for applications in surgery and the emergency department, where users will leverage the unit's versatility and portability. It is small enough to be rolled through a normal doorway; can easily be wheeled around an operating table or gurney; and can be plugged into a standard electrical outlet. Generating low levels of radiation, the system can operate safely in an unshielded room. Dominion is also affordable. The company plans to sell production units for about $500,000.

In addition to real-time 3D imaging, the Dominion can perform standard fluoroscopy and emulate CT, according to the company. The system cannot rival high-end CT scanning, but it can give 3D views to physicians while they are performing a procedure, Nesson said.

"With Dominion, surgeons have CT capability at an affordable price in a footprint small enough to put in the OR," Nesson said. "And, because it's mobile, Dominion can be used in the ER in the morning and in surgery in the afternoon."