Treatment

Pediatric Intraoperative CT imaging

Intraoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging is changing the way the team at Children's National Hospital performs orthopaedic and spine surgery. Intraoperative (“during the operation”) CT scans allow our surgical team to perform 3-D imaging during the procedure, leading to a more effective and precise surgery for your child.

Intraoperative CT at Children’s National

At Children’s National, our orthopaedic and spine teams are national leaders in intraoperative imaging. We have extensive experience with this technology and are one of the only centers in the region to use it regularly. Our pediatric spinal surgeons use intraoperative CT during surgery to repair spinal defects. The real-time images allow them to remove only the affected area while sparing the surrounding healthy part of the spine.

Benefits of Intraoperative CT

The intraoperative CT scanner is a mobile, standalone machine that we can place in any of our operating rooms. It provides our surgeons with real-time images of the operating site and provides navigation assistance, resulting in a more effective surgery.

Benefits of intraoperative imaging include:

High-resolution, 3-D images. Using intraoperative CT, our surgeons can visualize the operating area with unmatched clarity and detail. The navigation system gives the team a high level of accuracy during the surgery.
More precise results. The detailed images and precision lead to a more effective, safe surgery for your child.
Less manipulation of healthy areas. Because we have a detailed view of the operating site, we can remove the affected areas without harming the surrounding healthy structures. For example, during growth plate surgery, we can remove the damaged portion of the growth plate without affecting the rest of the growth plate. This is important for your child’s future physical development.
Convenient. We do not need to transfer your child to a different room in order to perform a CT scan. We do all of the imaging scans while your child is asleep during the surgery.