Evaluation of a “universal” digital fluoroscopy unit for GI, interventional and angiography work. A model for future equipment design

Abstract

The reduction in barium GI examinations due to the increasing use of endoscopic procedures will significantly alter the planning and equipment requirements of radiology departments in the future [ 11. The dedicated GI unit may be justified in only a few centers with sustainable volume. This decline, the increasing number of interventional procedures and the expanding use of digital angiography have created the opportunity for manufacturers to develop “universal” units capable of performing a variety of examinations and optimising resource utilisation. This paper describes our experience in the clinical evaluation of the Polystar (Siemens), a fully digital imaging system with multi-directional fluoroscopic capability and a tilting table. The objective of our study was to test the hypothesis that such a system, expressing the concept of “multi-tasking”, could substitute for multiple dedicated units in the areas of GI, Interventional and Angiography. Our experience highlights the requirements of “multi-tasking” units and confirms their capability of performing a broad variety of examinations.