A giant donut-shaped machine that takes three-D images is now being put to use in operating rooms at University Hospitals in Iowa City, one of fewer than two-dozen hospitals in the world to have such an item. The half-million dollar device is an advanced imaging system called an O-arm. Dr. Timothy Ryken, a U-of-I neurosurgeon, says the machine is dramatically changing how he operates on patients’ spines.

Ryken says: "We can get our post-operative imaging immediately and adjust our techniques in the operating room as we go, as opposed to finishing the procedure, go down and get a complex C-T or M-R-I scan, and then if we’re not happy with what we’re seeing, we’d have to return back to the operating room." Ryken says the big O-shaped device can be brought down onto a patient’s body to shoot a series of three-D images during surgery.

Ryken says, "The imaging system runs around a track inside and takes multiple pictures over a very quick period of time, about 13 to 15 seconds, then reconstructs all that series of pictures back into a three-dimensional image as opposed to just a one-dimensional flat X-ray, which is what we’re used to looking at." The O-arm was first used during surgery in late April and Ryken says it worked flawlessly. He says the device cost more than $500,000, a big investment for the U-of-I.

Ryken says: "It certainly is a lot of money but when we look at the improvement in having to go back and repeat surgeries, it doesn’t take very long before that advantage becomes quite apparent. To balance that, a C-T scanner that might take the same kind of position, an inter-operative C-T scanner would be several million, at least." The O-arm system is the first to be used in Iowa and is one of only 22 such systems in use worldwide. 

A northwest Iowa girl has been named as a national spokesperson for fundraising events to benefit the 300-thousand children in the U.S. who share her affliction. Sixteen-year-old Kristen Delaney of Rockwell City (photo at right)  was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when she was two. After trying dozens of medications over the years, Delaney says the pain persists.

Delaney says: "It can be really tough being in a lot of pain. I’ve had to give up a lot of things that I love to do like playing sports because my arthritis can get so bad. There are certain limitations to that. The main thing is to try not to let myself get down. I’m very active in vocal choir and speech, so I use my voice instead of my body."

She’s won several awards with the Rockwell City-Lytton High School speech team. Officials say because of her positive attitude and her work with the Arthritis Foundation in Iowa, Delaney’s being named the 2008 National Arthritis Walk Youth Honoree. She’ll be sent all over the country to speak at walks and to promote the events, along with fundraising. Delaney met with members of Congress about arthritis-related issues during a February trip to the nation’s capitol.

In a few weeks, she’ll fly to California to speak at a major walk event — and for a photo and video shoot. Delaney says she also wants to raise awareness about rheumatologists, the doctors who treat people with her sort of affliction. She says, "It’s very difficult for patients with arthritis to find a rheumatologist but it’s even more difficult for kids to find a pediatric rheumatologist. Right now, I’m seeing a pediatric rheumatologist in Omaha, Nebraska, and from where I live, that’s about three hours away."

She has tried every medication and treatment available and even took part in experimental drug studies to find new treatments, but has yet to find pain relief. Still, Delaney says she’s hopeful. She says there have been major medical advancements but with more awareness of arthritis comes more funding for research "and possibly find a better way for each individual to live a day pain-free." In addition to the pain she endures, Kristen has to give herself shots and deal with the numerous side effects of taking more than ten pills a day.

Upcoming Arthritis Walks are planned on: Saturday in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, May 19th in Dubuque, June 9th in Waterloo and September 8th in Fort Dodge. For more information, call 866-378-0636 or visit the Arthritis Foundation website .