Electronic Military & Defense magazine was developed for engineers, program managers, project managers, and those involved in the design and development of electronic and electro-optic systems for military, defense, and aerospace applications.
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and hospitalization of the patient(s) can be found in Table 1. The techniques utilized do not differ significantly from those used for routine X-ray exams and could be executed by a technologist, an emergency medicine physician, or any other appropriately trained medical emergency personnel in the field (Figure 3). Crossover To Nonmedical Imaging In addition, X-ray imaging finds uses in other military applications including nondestructive evaluation and test- ing (NDE/NDT) and security screening (packages and personnel). The ability to carry out these functions in the field, under concealment and with greatly reduced logis- tics requirements, makes for a compelling case for the "fully digital" radiographic solution. The Next Generation Of Planar Imaging Options A flat-panel imaging system, while potentially useful in any medical context, is particularly suited to the demands of military field use by virtue of its extreme portability, low power requirements, and simplicity of use and maintenance. As it has only a few components, is lightweight, and has a small footprint, such a fully digital radiology system can be transported easily and set up quickly. This new class of X-ray system has the potential to deliver advanced imaging options (unavailable from current commercial X-ray systems) in areas far from advanced hospitals. Because these new flat- panel sources dispense with the tube and consist of large arrays of independent X-ray sources, past problems such as fragility of the glass tube and thermal management are reduced. New capabili- ties such as 3D imaging also become possible, since these distributed sources give more than one angle of view on a body part. Various approaches are being taken to produce these flat-panel, address- able arrays of X-ray sources. Technologies such as field- enhanced emitters — famil- iar from plasma TVs — are being adapted for use in X-ray generation. Field gen- erators such as triboelectrics — related to the effect of rubbing fur on an amber rod — and ferroelectrics — similar to the gas stove-top igniters — are desirable for their compact source of high voltage. Ongoing technological challenges include how to address (turn on and off) the emitters, image reconstruction, and fabrication of these technologies into robust medical devices. These challenges are being addressed by multiple research groups and companies. Future Prospects Planar X-ray imaging is still the workhorse of medical imaging. Technological advancements have brought pla- nar radiology from simple film radiographs to computer- enhanced digital imaging and made sophisticated 3D imaging possible. Now, there is an opportunity to simulta- neously advance general radiology and enable its deploy- ment in the field. Flat-panel X-ray sources will change how and where X-rays are produced. This new class of X-ray source can bring radiology to the point of injury, to the battlefield, and to the warfighter. The hope is that bring- ing radiology to the patient, in all settings, will improve outcomes and reduce costs much as portable ultrasound has already done (Zaghrini, 2013). -Friese, G. e. (2005, May 1). Emergency Stabilization of Unstable Pelvic Fractures. Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://www.emsworld.com/article/10323983/emergency-stabilization-of- Technology 12 Electronic Military & Defense Annual Resource, 4th Edition Figure 3: Flow diagram of the use case for a portable X-ray device in a field setting. Quality Control • Optimal Function • Charger CASEVAC To Hospital • Further diagnostics and treatment Clinical Consequences • Treatment on-site • Immobilization • No changes • Triage revision X-ray Scan With Portable Device • Review on-site • Teleradiology • Transfer images to hospital Primary Patient Assessment • Immediate treatment • Need imaging? Transit To Emergency Site • Trauma • Medical → → → → → →