Eastman Kodak Company

Advances in Digital Medical Imaging Technology Offer Dramatic Improvements in Care for Injured Olympic Athletes

KODAK Equipment Enables Patient Imaging Studies to Be Transmitted to Remote Specialists for Consultation, So Injured Athletes Can Return to Competition

Rochester, NY, Jul 14 -- Technology has changed almost every aspect of athletic training and competition since the beginning of the Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. But even more dramatic are changes in medical technology available to treat athletes during the upcoming ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games.

With state-of-the-art digital medical imaging and information equipment from Eastman Kodak Company, for example, images of injured athletes are just a mouse click away from medical specialists in remote locations.

That’s because Kodak’s technology will enable radiologists at the Polyclinic—the primary medical center for the Games located in the Olympic Village—to send digital x-ray images, CT scans and other medical images and accompanying reports to specialists at the ATTIKO University Hospital in metropolitan Athens, which will assist in serving Olympic athletes and officials.

This technology includes a KODAK picture archiving and communications system (PACS) and a KODAK radiology information system (RIS) at the Polyclinic, which will enable the management and transmission of medical images and related information, respectively. It also includes a KODAK PACS/RIS workstation at the University Hospital, which will enable physicians to view and to make diagnoses from the medical images and written reports transmitted by the Polyclinic.

“Because our systems allow images to be sent electronically to remote specialists, an injured athlete will not have to travel across town for diagnostic imaging services. This is key, since rapid diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between an athlete returning to competition or having to drop out of the Games,” said Dan Kerpelman, President of Kodak’s Health Imaging Group and a Senior Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company.

In addition to its PACS/RIS, Kodak’s Health Imaging Group will equip the Polyclinic with systems that capture x-ray images digitally in seconds; with innovative dental products; and with a broad range of services to ensure optimal integration and operation of these advanced systems and products. Kodak also installed a digital medical imaging capture system, the KODAK DIRECTVIEW DR 9000 System, at KAT Hospital, one of the largest trauma treatment hospitals in Greece, which also will assist in serving individuals associated with the Olympic Games.

The Polyclinic is expected to perform medical imaging studies for up to 140 patients day and to complete more than 2,000 imaging exams over the course of the Games.

After the Games, KODAK digital imaging equipment will continue to provide world-class medical imaging services for the citizens of Athens.

 “What is unique about the Athens Games is that the Olympic Village Polyclinic will remain after the Games have concluded,” Kerpelman said. “Most of the advanced KODAK medical and dental imaging equipment will be purchased and consolidated into the Polyclinic as a lasting legacy from the Games.”

Kodak, a Worldwide Sponsor of the Olympic Games, will equip the Polyclinic in Athens with the following digital medical imaging equipment:

• KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR 850 and CR 950 computed radiography systems will provide digital images from x-ray examinations in just minutes.
• A KODAK DIRECTVIEW PACS System 5 will enable immediate viewing of digital images on high-resolution monitors by team physicians and radiologists. KODAK DIRECTVIEW Versatile Intelligent Patient Archive (VIParchive) software will manage retrieval and storage of imaging studies. In addition to an on-site archive, imaging studies and other patient information will be transmitted to a special site in Milan, Italy, for secure off-site storage, as provided by KODAK Storage and Archive Services (SAS).
• A KODAK RIS 2010 radiology information system will manage the flow of images and information at the Polyclinic. Because the RIS 2010 is fully integrated with the KODAK PACS, radiologists will be able to use an integrated workstation to access patient data and images and perform voice dictation for the radiology report.
• Imaging studies will be printed to CDs by the PACS system or printed to radiographic film by KODAK DRYVIEW 8900, 8300 and 8200 Laser Imaging Systems.

The KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR 850 system is also being used to capture digital medical imaging studies of horses at the Olympic Equestrian Center in Athens.

KODAK Digital Dental Equipment Showcased

A staff of dentists and assistants will use KODAK digital imaging equipment and film and for intraoral and extraoral dental exams. The Polyclinic is a primary source of dental care for athletes from all over the world. A KODAK 2000 intraoral x-ray system (currently marketed outside of North America as the TROPHY ELITYS intraoral x-ray system) will enable the dental team to diagnose any problems arising with teeth, including injuries, toothache, cavities or lost fillings. Radiographs will be captured using KODAK INSIGHT intraoral dental film, a high-speed film that minimizes radiation exposure to patients.

A TROPHY RVG ui Digital Radiography System will capture and display images of individual teeth or sets of teeth on a computer monitor to assist in treatment planning.

A KODAK 8000 digital panoramic system (currently marketed outside of North America as the TROPHYPAN digital panoramic system) will produce radiographs with a larger viewing area, including a patient’s face, jaw and throat area. The dental team can use this system to diagnose any injuries that may involve more than individual teeth, such as trauma that may have resulted in jaw fractures or dislocation.

KODAK 1000 intraoral video cameras (currently marketed outside of North America as TROPHY STV PRO2 intraoral video cameras) will provide photographic images of injuries to the mouth or teeth. For example, the dental team can view an image of a cracked tooth on a computer monitor and plan appropriate treatment.

About Kodak's Health Imaging Group

Kodak's Health Imaging Group is a world leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing intelligent imaging products from analog to digital and in providing innovative medical-imaging services, including those to assist customers with interoperability and other needs. Its broad product portfolio includes computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) systems, laser imagers, picture archiving and communications systems (PACS), radiology information systems (RIS), traditional mammography systems, x-ray film systems for general radiography, and dental imaging products. Its services portfolio includes everything from basic repair and maintenance, to services encompassing equipment integration (from multiple vendors), storage and archiving, secure email – and more.   The group, with 2003 revenues of $2.43 billion, has served the global healthcare community for more than 100 years. The Health Imaging Group and Kodak's other major businesses – Graphic Communications Group; Commercial Imaging; Display & Components; and Digital & Film Imaging Systems – together are leading participants in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry created by the convergence of image-and-information technology. Infoimaging unites three closely related imaging markets that enable end users to more easily capture, process, print and share images and information: devices (such as Health Imaging's CR and DR systems), infrastructure (online networks and delivery systems for images, including PACS) and services & media (software, film and paper).

KODAK, DIRECTVIEW, DRYVIEW, TROPHY RVG, TROPHYPAN, ELITYS and INSIGHT are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.

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