[A new 2D and 3D imaging approach to musculoskeletal physiology and pathology with low-dose radiation and the standing position: the EOS system].

Close collaboration between multidisciplinary specialists (physicists, biomecanical engineers, medical radiologists and pediatric orthopedic surgeons) has led to the development of a new low-dose radiation device named EOS. EOS has three main advantages: The use of a gaseous X-ray detector, invented by Georges Charpak (Nobel Prizewinner 1992), the dose necessary to obtain a 2D image of the skeletal system has been reduced by 8 to 10 times, while that required to obtain a 3D reconstruction from CT slices has fallen by a factor of 800 to 1000. The accuracy of the 3D reconstruction obtained with EOS is as good as that obtained with CT. The patient is examined in the standing (or seated) position, and is scanned simultaneously from head to feet, both frontally and laterally. This is a major advantage over conventional CT which requires the patient to be placed horizontally. -The 3D reconstructions of each element of the osteo-articular system are as precise as those obtained by conventional CT. EOS is also rapid, taking only 15 to 30 minutes to image the entire spine.