Ultrasound microscopy: An aid for surgeons to make the invisible, visible

December 16, 2013 01:22 PM EST By: Jennifer Rocha

Researcher at Toyohashi University of Technology is developing the technology to monitor living tissue and cell specimens for medical purposes.

Story content courtesy of Toyohashi University of Technology, International Affairs Division, JP

Ultrasonic microscopes have a wide range of applications including determining the presence of otherwise invisible defects in components used in the automobile, aeronautical, and construction industries.

Professor Naohiro Hozumi of Toyohashi Tech’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering is developing the technology to monitor living tissue and cell specimens for medical purposes.  “With my ultrasound microscope, staining is not required because the spectrum of the sound coming back from the tissue changes when the tissue is cancerous, which in turn changes the image,” says Hozumi. “So instead of waiting an hour or more, tissue can be tested almost immediately. Also, because the reflected sound varies depending on the type of cancer, a doctor can interpret the type of disease from the image by comparing it to a reference material.”

The Toyohashi Tech researchers are currently working with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) and semiconductor engineers to develop such devices.

 

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