Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt has introduced a new X-ray imaging device at the pediatric orthopedic clinic to help patients like Chloie Jacobs, 9, (pictured).

Jacobs, who needed a follow-up scan for her congenital scoliosis, and other patients requiring frequent X-rays are benefitting from the cutting-edge technology known as EOS. Although it's outer space-like design feels a bit more like entering a teletransporter, the real beauty of the imaging system is that it uses ultra-low radiation doses (up to 50 times lower depending on the scan type) to capture 2-D and 3-D images. The scan, complete in about eight to 15 seconds, obtains an image of the body in an upright, load-bearing position, which is more representative of the body's natural function.

"She has X-rays at least three times a year, so anything with less radiation is always better," said Chloie's mother Amber Jacobs.

Less radiation for high-quality scans is appealing to doctors and parents because the cumulative effects of too much radiation can be harmful to a child, increasing the risk of cancer. If a child can't stand unassisted in the EOS machine, a chair specifically designed for the machine allows the child to sit while being scanned.