PurposeIn 1992, Georges Charpak invented a new type of X-ray detector, which in turn led to the development of the EOS® 2D/3D imaging system. This system takes simultaneous anteroposterior and lateral 2D images of the whole body and can be utilized to perform 3D reconstruction based on statistical models. The purpose of this review is to present the state of the art for this EOS® imaging technique, to report recent developments and advances in the technique, and to stress its benefits while also noting its limitations.MethodsThe review was based on a thorough literature search on the subject as well as personal experience gained from many years of using the EOS® system.ResultsWhile EOS® imaging could be proposed for many applications, it is most useful in relation to scoliosis and sagittal balance, due to its ability to take simultaneous orthogonal images while the patient is standing, to perform 3D reconstruction, and to determine various relationships among adjacent segments (cervical spine, pelvis, and lower limbs). The technique has also been validated for the study of pelvic and lower-limb deformity and pathology in adult and pediatric populations; in such a study it has the advantage of allowing the measurement of torsional deformity, which classically requires a CT scan.ConclusionsThe major advantages of EOS® are the relatively low dose of radiation (50–80 % less than conventional X-rays) that the patient receives and the possibility of obtaining a 3D reconstruction of the bones. However, this 3D reconstruction is not created automatically; a well-trained operator is required to generate it. The EOS® imaging technique has proven itself to be a very useful research and diagnostic tool.

Purpose To analyze the relationship between the cervical spine and global spinal-pelvic alignment in young patients with idiopathic scoliosis based on a morphological classification, and to postulate the hypothesis that cervical kyphosis is a part of cervico-thoracic kyphosis in them. Methods 120 young patients with idiopathic scoliosis were recruited retrospectively between 2006 and 2011. The following values were measured and calculated: cervical angles (CA), cervico-thoracic angles (CTA), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), spinal sacral angle (SSA), hip to C7/hip to sacrum, thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), Roussouly sagittal classification, Lenke Type Curve and Lumbar Modifier. The cervical curves were classified as lordosis, straight, sigmoid and kyphosis. They were categorized into four groups as cervical non-kyphosis group (CNK Group), cervical kyphosis group (CK Group), cervical-middle-thoracic kyphosis group (CMTK Group), and cervical-lower-thoracic kyphosis group (CLTK Group) according to their morphological characters of sagittal alignments. All parameters were compared and analyzed among groups. Results The incidence of cervical kyphosis was 40 % (48/ 120). The CA and the CTA were in significant correlation (r = 0.854, P = 0.00). The cervical spine alignments were revealed to be significantly different among groups (r = 85.04, P = 0.00). Significant differences among groups in CA, CTA and TK were also detected. A strong correlation between the group type and Lenke Lumbar Modifier was still seen (P \ 0.05). Fisher's exact test revealed that the individual vertebral body kyphosis and wedging were directly related to the overall cervical kyphosis (P = 0.00, respectively). Conclusion The cervical kyphosis is correlated with global sagittal alignment, and is a part of cervico-thoracic sagittal deformity in young patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Despite the deformity in cervical alignment, the global spine could still be well-balanced with spontaneous adjustment. The correlation between our grouping based on the morphological characteristics of the sagittal alignments and Lenke Lumbar Modifier suggests that the coupled motion principle be appropriate to explain the modifications both in coronal and sagittal planes.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVF) are an increasing public health problem. Cement augmentation (vertebroplasty of kyphoplasty) helps stabilize painful OVF refractory to medical treatment. This stabilization is thought to improve pain and functional outcome. Vertebroplasty consists of injecting cement into a fractured vertebra using a percutaneous transpedicular approach. Balloon kyphoplasty uses an inflatable balloon prior to injecting the cement. Although kyphoplasty is associated with significant improvement of local kyphosis and less cement leakage, this does not result in long-term clinical and functional improvement. Moreover, vertebroplasty is favored by some due to the high cost of kyphoplasty. The injection of cement increases the stiffness of the fracture vertebrae. This can lead, in theory, to adjacent OVF. However, many studies found no increase of subsequent fracture when comparing medical treatment to cement augmentation. Kyphoplasty can have a protective effect due to restoration of sagittal balance.

Accurate localization of joint centers is essential in movement analysis. However, joint centers cannot be directly palpated and alternative methods must be used. To assess the relative merits of these methods, a medical image based reference should be used. The EOS(®) system, a new low dose bi-planar X-rays imaging technique may be considered. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of hip joint center (HJC) localization using the EOS(®) system. Seventeen healthy young adults participated in the study. Femoral heads and pelvic external markers were localized using the EOS(®) system and the HJCs were expressed in the movement analysis coordinate system. Results showed that external marker localization was reliable within 0.15 mm for trained assessors. Mean accuracy for HJC localization was 2.9 mm (SD: 1.3, max: 6.2). The EOS based method therefore appeared reliable and may be used for femoral head localization or as a reference to assess the accuracy of other methods for HJC localization.