of the guesswork — and some of the mental strain — out of the chal-
lenging cases. Starting below, we highlight 8 of the newest models.
Orthopedic and spine surgeons can now magnify and enhance high-
definition images without losing an ounce of clarity, meaning they can
administer spinal injections for pain management more precisely and
double-check the placement of hardware and implants long before
patients leave the OR. Newer C-arms also require lower radiation
doses to capture higher quality images, a feature that helps protect
staff and surgeons from imaging's invisible danger.
The latest C-arms can take big chunks out of your capital equipment
budget — basic models generally cost $100,000 to $125,000, while
platforms with bells and whistles run between $300,000 and $350,000
— so consider these factors to make smart purchasing decisions
while investing in units that will provide your surgeons with the
enhanced intraoperative images they want and need.
• Image quality. The latest C-arms boast flat screen monitors, which
display clear, crisp ultra-high definition images of targeted anatomy.
Many manufacturers are swapping out conventional image intensifiers
for flat-panel, digital image detectors, which provide higher-quality
images and a wider field of view with less distortion at a fraction of
the radiation output.
Those features match imaging's fundamental principle: capture qual-
ity images with radiation doses that are as low as reasonably achiev-
able (ALARA). In other words, use the lowest possible dose to cap-
ture images with enough detail to guide the surgeon's work. Radiation
scatter still occurs with digital image detectors, but because a lower
dose is used to begin with, the scatter effect is minimized, and expo-
sure risks are therefore far less for everybody in the room.
• Data storage and retrieval. Today's C-arms have the capacity to
store many years' worth of images, but most facilities invest in a more
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • < # >
