CurveBeam AI’s Post

Lisa Smith, MHA, OTR/L, CHT, CHC Chief Operating Officer for Optim Orthopedics in Savannah, Georgia, shares how their weight bearing CT system has become a valued on-site service at their practice. "Our physicians love the fact that [our WBCT scanner] is right in our facility," she says. #WBCT #CurveBeamAI #InOfficeCT

With the #ParisOlympics approaching, it's important to make sure athletes are in good health to put their best foot forward. In the sport of track and field, jumping events have proven to be some of the most injury prone. From a case report shared by Mayo Clinic Arizona in JBBS Connector - a 25-year-old male competitive pole vaulter sought an evaluation after 5 months of right ankle pain that had been limiting his training. Initial X-Rays showed small osteophytes at the medial tibiotalar articulation with a small intra-articular body raising the possibility of anterior impingement. Weight Bearing CT (WBCT) imaging of the ankle with maximal dorsiflexion was ordered, and scans showed severe narrowing with focal bone-on-bone apposition along the anteromedial aspect of the right tibiotalar joint. A nondisplaced stress fracture was also identified at the anteromedial tibial plafond at the level of the osteophytes. “The ability to obtain CT images of the ankle dorsiflexed during weight bearing was important for confirming the diagnosis of an ankle osseous impingement with a tibial stress fracture and helped guide surgical management in our patient,” the authors wrote. The patient underwent a successful right ankle arthroscopy with anteromedial ankle osteophyte resection and loose body removal. Postoperative X-Rays showed successful resection of anterior tibial and talar osteophytes with no further imaging evidence of impingement. #TrackAndField #SportsMed #WBCT Brown, Parker J. MD1,a; Wyse, Aaron MD1; Patel, Karan MD2; Long, Jeremiah MD1. Weight-Bearing CT with Maximum Ankle Dorsiflexion to Identify Impingement and Tibial Plafond Stress Fracture: A Case Report. JBJS Case Connector 13(4):e23.00356, October-December 2023. | DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.CC.23.00356

For Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). weight bearing CT (WBCT) makes creating patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) more precise and accessible. Key Points: 👨⚕️ WBCT has helped surgeons better understand the orientation and specifications of patients’ joints, and it allows for the development of individualized cutting guides that are both reliable and reproducible. ⏱️ Using preoperative WBCT for intraoperative procedures can both decrease operative time and increase rates of implant survival. 📈 WBCT with patient specific instrumentation (PSI) has the potential to improve accuracy and reproducibility of component alignment, resulting in more appropriate correction of deformities which can in turn decrease the need for corrective osteotomies, lowering the burden on patients. Further improvements can be unlocked by validating deep learning and artificial intelligence algorithms that could, for example, predict clinical outcomes. These methods will only become more accurate as more data is collected. #MedicalInnovation #OrthopedicSurgery #AIInHealthcare Zeitlin J, Henry J, Ellis S. Preoperative Guidance With Weight-Bearing Computed Tomography and Patient-Specific Instrumentation in Foot and Ankle Surgery. HSS J. 2021 Oct;17(3):326-332. doi: 10.1177/15563316211026325. Epub 2021 Jul 7. PMID: 34539274; PMCID: PMC8436345.

End-stage ankle arthritis occurs when there is loss of cartilage at the tibiotalar joint. Post-traumatic ankle arthritis is the most common etiology. How Dr. Hodges Davis, uses WBCT to assist with end-stage ankle arthritis assessment: A weight bearing CT scan can: ✔️ Allow for accurate assessment of malalignment and congruency of the tibiotalar joint. 📍 Evaluate the position and degenerative changes at adjacent joints including the subtalar and talonavicular joints. 🦶 Assist in planning deformity correction of the foot and hindfoot (e.g. COFAS type 3 and 4 cases). 🦴 Provide a better understanding of the location of cysts and quality of the remaining bone. 👨⚕️ Be used with CT-based total ankle replacement planning tools. For postoperative assessment of operative treatment of ankle arthritis, a WBCT can: accurately assess sites of impingement and pain, follow the size and locations of periprosthetic cysts, and predict the likelihood of periprosthetic cyst formation based on varus/valgus. See comments for a link to the full case report.

Orthopedic leaders are embracing the migration of surgical cases to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). To prepare for high growth expansion, invest in point-of-care CT imaging. A CT scan is the first step in planning many custom joint replacement procedures. By providing CT services in the office, orthopedic practices can reduce the time in between identifying a candidate for joint replacement and scheduling them for surgery. CurveBeam AI CT systems don’t compromise on image quality and make this ancillary offering much more practical for the orthopedic setting. #AmbulatorySurgeryCenters #PointOfCareImaging #CTScan 

Up to 40% of missed diagnoses of ankle trauma associated fractures could theoretically be avoided if cone beam CT (CBCT) is used as a primary imaging modality in accident and emergency departments, according to a recent study. #WBCT #AnkleSprain #AnkleInstability #CurveBeamAI

Today we celebrate Juneteenth, the end of slavery in America, and the freedom of all Americans.

Jeff McPherson, MBA, FACMPE, East Tennessee Market President, Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance, highlights says weight bearing CT has become an integral part of the practice. Patients no longer have to go off-site for CT scans. "It's a great opportunity for [patients] to...not have to deal with the hospital," he says.

Researchers out of the Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Institute of Radiology in Ovidio Pires de Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, aimed to propose a protocol for assessing knee instability in ACL-injured knees using weight bearing CT (WBCT). They concluded WBCT could emerge as a non-invasive and reproducible method for evaluating anteroposterior and rotatory instability through quantitative measurements. #ACLInjury #WBCT #Orthopedics