X-ray is the simplest of the imaging modalities discussed in this review and thus is probably the easiest to adapt to the operating room. Current portable C-arm systems work pretty well, but are bulky and often difficult to get around the patient on the table. The system of the future will use an embedded or bed-mounted detector that is separate from the x-ray source. The x-ray source could be ceiling mounted and moved into the desired position. The trick is then to properly position the source relative to the detector. This could be done in a number of relatively easy ways. The advantage of the c-arm is the freedom to rotate the system to any angle orthogonal to the axis of the body. The advantage of a separate detector and source is that they can be placed at nearly any angle, regardless of orientation.

Due to the relative simplicty of x-ray, some creativity in applying x-ray to the operating room should be expected in the future.