Using a portable radiography system, three crew members on a 3.5-day polar orbital flight were able to take diagnostic-quality x-rays, the first human radiographs in space.In-flight images had similar overall image quality, spatial resolution, and contrast resolution compared with images taken preflight.Use of a portable radiography system could potentially improve diagnostic capabilities for crew health, researchers said.<\/p>\n
It was feasible to take x-rays in space, potentially improving diagnostic capabilities for crew health, according to a small prospective study.<\/p>\n
Using a portable radiography system, three crew members on the 3.5-day Fram2 polar orbital flight were able to take diagnostic-quality x-rays, the first human radiographs in space, reported Sheyna Gifford, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues.<\/p>\n
As evaluated by a team of radiologists using Likert scores of 1-5, the in-flight images acquired by the crew members, as compared with images taken preflight, demonstrated no evidence of differences in:<\/p>\n
Overall image quality (mean score 4.86 vs 5.0, P>0.99)Spatial resolution (mean score 4.86 vs 5.0, P=0.46)Contrast resolution (mean score 4.86 vs 5.0, P=0.46)<\/p>\n
However, for central radiographs of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, image positioning was worse in-flight versus preflight (mean score 4.07 vs 4.95, P=0.02).<\/p>\n
“The user-friendly design of our commercial-off-the-shelf system enabled rapid performance of numerous imaging examinations despite limited in-flight operational time, minimal crew training, and the absence of anchoring equipment in the microgravity environment,” Gifford and colleagues wrote in Radiology<\/a>.<\/p>\n For decades, space missions have had to rely on portable ultrasound machines for any imaging requirements. “It’s been a dream for aerospace medicine to have more than one imaging modality for diagnosing illnesses and injuries in space,” Gifford said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Traditional x-ray machines are very large, produce a lot of radiation, and have a tendency to produce a blurred image if there’s movement,” Gifford explained. “Because everything in space is constantly moving, the conceit has been that obtaining a diagnostic image in orbit was too technically challenging.”<\/p>\n “Acquiring diagnostically useful x-rays in space is something that anyone can do,” she added. “Three very talented nonmedical people with 4 hours of training in one of the harshest environments did it right and did it well.”<\/p>\n