OPA Acquires Weight Bearing CT, Becomes First in Region to Offer New Advanced Diagnostic Imaging to Foot and Ankle Patients

OPA Acquires Weight Bearing CT, Becomes First in Region to Offer New Advanced Diagnostic Imaging to Foot and Ankle Patients

Orthopedic Physician Associates (OPA Ortho) is pleased to announce that it is the first practice in the Pacific Northwest to offer weight-bearing CT imaging services for the foot and ankle.

Traditional medical CT devices can only image patients while they are lying down. Many common foot conditions affecting the bones and joints need to be evaluated while the patient is standing to be properly understood. When the patient stands, the feet bear the body’s full weight—bone and joint alignment changes when the body is in a non-weight bearing (resting) position.

Our new weight-bearing CT scan called pedCAT™ aids orthopedic surgeons in diagnosing and treating conditions including fractures, dislocations, midfoot injuries, bunions, flat feet, sprains, arthritis, Diabetic related conditions, and many other conditions.

pedCAT™ takes 360 two-dimensional images of each foot and then stitches them together to create an exact, three-dimensional digital replica of the foot and ankle. These 3D images provide our physicians with detailed anatomical information when a plain 2D X-ray may not provide enough diagnostic information to diagnose the related condition.

“We chose pedCAT for several reasons. First, these state-of-the-art scans are taken in the OPA Ortho office in a matter of minutes, often at the same visit as a patient’s initial office visit, and without any special preparation. Second, the radiation exposure is low – in the same range as a series of traditional X-rays – and significantly lower than traditional medical CT scan. Third, pedCAT allows us to view the foot and ankle in a standing, weight-bearing position. And lastly, we can allow patients to ambulate sooner based on our ability to monitor fracture healing and fusion rates. This is a significant benefit to the patient.” – Nicholas Seibert, M.D., a board-certified foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon with OPA Ortho.

“We can use these three-dimensional replicas to pre-plan implant surgeries, assuring a higher rate of accuracy when screws, plates, and replacement joints are placed inside the foot. We can also use the scans to better assess arthritic joints and detect bone erosion” – Martin Mankey, M.D., also an OPA Ortho Board Certified foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon.

OPA Ortho added pedCAT™ to its suite of imaging technology, which already includes digital radiology, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound in November. pedCAT is available for referring physicians as well as OPA Ortho patients.

For more information please call OPA Ortho at (206) 386-2600.

About The pedCAT™ System

The pedCAT system provides true weight-bearing, 3D CT imaging of the foot & ankle region. With a 4’ x 5’ footprint, the pedCAT is a compact office solution for CT imaging. This device can scan a single foot or both feet in less than a minute at minimal levels of radiation.

About CurveBeam, LLC CurveBeam is headquartered in Warrington, Penn. The company was formed in 2009 with the goal of providing cutting-edge Cone Beam CT capabilities to the Orthopedic and Podiatry specialties at a fraction of the price of traditional CT equipment. For more information, contact CurveBeam communications coordinator, Vinti Singh, at (267) 483–2007.