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Raymond Schulz, Voxel
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Kay Paumier, Communications Plus
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For Immediate Release
Holograms Aid Diagnosis and Treatment in the Cervical Spine for Both Major Trauma and Pediatric Anomalies
March 19, 1998 -- New Orleans -- Physicians reporting at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting this week will describe how the Digital Holography(tm) System from Voxel(r) (NASDAQ:VOXL) improves the display of trauma and anomalies of the cervical spine.
The Digital Holography System uses data routinely collected by Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanners to produce true three-dimensional images. A proprietary multiple-exposure process holographically superimposes all the cross-sectional data from the tomographic studies onto a single piece of 14"x17" holographic film. When the film is viewed on a special lightbox, the transparent VoxgramÆ images literally extend out in space, enabling physicians to interact in, around and through the life-size holograms as if they were real specimens of anatomy.
Holographic Display Invaluable for Unexpected Anomalies of the Cervical Spine
Dr. Jill V. Hunter, staff neuroradiologist at ChildrenÃs Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, evaluated whether three-dimensional holograms more completely display anomalies of the cervical spine. These anomalies "can be extraordinarily hard to interpret because of the difficulties in assessing an unpredictable 3-dimensional problem from a 2D stack of slices."
Dr. Hunter reviewed 19 cases of cranio-cervical anomaly. The patients, who ranged in age from two to 28 years old, had been investigated with CT and/or MRI.
"In all cases 3D visualization of the complete data set on a single film increased the speed and confidence of the read." In two cases, surgeons used the holograms "to pre-plan surgery, to explain to parents the nature of their childÃs problem" and "in an interactive fashion in the O.R."
Dr. Hunter found that holography "enhances understanding of the anatomy by virtue of the transparent 3D display on film. Analysis of true 3D holograms, which can also be flipped and inverted to view the data set from the opposite direction, has proven invaluable in the understanding of the unexpected relationships of these often abnormally formed bones." (True 3D Digital Holography as a Tool for Displaying Congenital Abnormalities of the Cranio-cervical Junction in a Pediatric Population, Scientific Exhibit SE-016, Hall C, Hunter JV, Domans JT, Duhaime AC, Schulz RA, Geil GE, Drummond DS)
Holograms May Replace Plain Film for Cervical Trauma Patients
Dr. C. Gene Coin and colleagues at the University of Miami-Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital evaluated CT, helical CT (HCT) and volumetric holography in cervical trauma patients.
The doctor retrospectively studied 78 trauma patients with fractures of the cervical spine. Volumetric holograms were produced from the HCT data in 12 cases, which were selected based on the quality of the CT data, the discrepancy between plain film and CT findings, and clinical appropriateness. When adequate data was available, cases of facet dislocation or bony fragment intrusion into the spinal canal were selected.
"In cervical spine trauma patients, CT and HCT are more accurate than plain films." Additionally, "volumetric holography correctly diagnosed one fracture and one dislocation that had been missed by HCT and correctly diagnosed by plain films. One false positive by HCT was correctly diagnosed by holography."
Dr. Coin found that "in selected cases volumetric holography using the same HCT data added significant diagnostic information" and was "of additional value." The holograms were "convenient and gave an added perspective for surgical and teaching purposes." Dr. Coin believes that "HCT combined with holographic display has a future potential for eliminating plain films of the cervical spine in trauma patients." (CT, Helical CT and Holography of Cervical Spine in Trauma Patients, Scientific Exhibit SE-083, Hall C, Coin CG, Eismont FJ, Schulz RA, Nunez DB, Zych GE, Geil GE)
Other Studies
In addition to the research cited above, physicians at several other prominent medical institutions throughout the country have studied the Digital Holography System, including Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School (Boston); George Washington University Medical Center (Washington, D.C.); Irvine Medical Center-University of California at Irvine; and Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology-Washington University (St. Louis).
The Digital Holography System was awarded FDA clearance in September 1995. In January 1997, Voxel was awarded a U.S. patent covering 13 claims, including five independent claims for the companyÃs method of making multiple-exposure holograms. An existing reimbursement code for reporting medical procedures was amended effective January 1, 1998, to explicitly reference holographic imaging of CT and MR data. This provides a method by which clinicians may more accurately report, and seek reimbursement for, use of Digital Holography. Based in Laguna Hills, California, Voxel is a public company founded to develop, manufacture and market volumetric display systems based on multiple-exposure holography.
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Voxel and Voxgram are registered trademarks and Digital Holography is a trademark of Voxel.
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