3 common spinal conditions explained by radiographer who gets first look
- Advancing scanning technology allows precision in both diagnosis and surgery
- Degeneration once associated with old ages is affecting more young sufferers
Today’s urban life puts a lot of stress on our bodies, both mentally and physically. We ignore minor aches and pains, to our own perils. Often by the time we visit the doctor, the condition has already become rather serious.
Lam Wai-hong, diagnostic radiographer II at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road, has seen it with his own eyes – literally. Through various types of scanning equipment, he provides important visual information to aid the doctor’s diagnosis and prescription of treatments.
Lam has 23 years of experience, working for both public and private hospitals. Throughout the years, he has kept up to date with advancing technology.
Windows into our bodies
Plain X-ray films are still the first go-to for spotting skeletal anomalies.
“In serious cases where bones are dislocated, you can see through the X-ray. But as the X-ray can’t demonstrate the bones with fluids clearly, conditions affecting the nerves can only be seen through MRI (magnetic resonance imaging),” Lam says.
Until recently, C-arm MRI equipment was only able to provide 2D images in the operating theatre, but the introduction of O-arm has changed everything. In spinal surgeries that require implanting supportive structures such as rods and screws, this new intraoperative technology gives the surgeon precise data.
If there is calcification on the front side, then the surgery needs to be done from the back side
“With O-arm, as it’s a 3D scan, it can help the doctor accurately determine where the screws, if needed, should be set, as well as their widths and lengths,” Lam says.
