also crank things up a notch when it comes to data storage and
retrieval. Some of the older machines stored images, but it was a hassle
if you needed to get the images out of storage. If you were offsite, you
had to drive back to the facility and have somebody bring the picture
up on the device, so you could look at it again.
The new machines all have USB output ports, so I carry an encrypt-
ed USB drive with me, and can plug it directly into the C-arm and
download my patients' images onto my personal drive. That way I can
take the images and upload them into my practice's PACS system. If
there's a problem or a question, you can look at the images right away,
because you have them with you.
Of course, there's a hefty price tag. The basic models with modern
digital imaging start in the neighborhood of $130,000 to $150,000, and
the price goes up as you add software and other technologies. For
example, if you upgrade to a dual-monitor system, you can run the
price up to a quarter million or more.
Do you need a dual-monitor system? Nice but not necessary, I say. If
I want to compare a pre-fusion image to an intraoperative post-fusion
image, to see whether I've made the alignment change I was attempt-
ing to make, being able look at those pre- and post- images right next
to each other saves time and makes life easier. Some systems also
come with software packages that let you reconstruct multiple images
into 3-dimensional pictures.
OSM
J U N E 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 1 7
Dr. Broderick (richard.broderick@orthoillinois.com) is an attending neurosur-
geon at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Ill.
