Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an ultrasound patch that can produce live, high-resolution images of major blood vessels and internalized organs. Which will help in imaging and monitoring the internal organs and embryos easily and conveniently in the future.
Ultrasound imaging or sonography is a procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of a part inside the body. This procedure is usually used to examine the fetus, diagnose certain conditions, or guide surgeons during certain medical procedures.
Therefore, ultrasound imaging is a safe window that provides vivid images of the patient's internal organs. However, this process requires trained technicians to direct and maintain the sound rays towards the desired area of the body, and then produce high-resolution images of the internal organs.
To perform an ultrasound, a technician applies a liquid jelly "gel" to the patient's skin that helps transmit ultrasound waves. and then pushes the probe or wave conductor; On the gel, it sends sound waves back to the body, which bounce back as an echo that distinguishes the body's internal structures and back to the probe where it is translated into visible images.
And some patients need long periods of imaging. Some hospitals offer sensors mounted on robotic arms that can hold and hold the ultrasound probe in the desired location. However, the liquid "gel" dries up over time, preventing long-range shooting. Ultrasound imaging, today, also requires huge and specialized equipment that is only available in hospitals and doctors' offices.
Ultrasound sticker
But scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may make this advanced technology similarly available and wearable as you would when you buy a medical plaster at the drugstore.
In a new research paper published in the journal Science on July 28 and given a press release by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT scientists have created a new postage stamp-sized ultrasound patch that sticks to the skin and provides continuous ultrasound imaging of internal organs for a period of time. 48 hours.
The new ultrasound adhesive developed by the MIT team has produced high-resolution images over a longer period of time by fusing a stretchable adhesive layer with a fixed array of ultrasound vectors. "This combination enabled the device to adapt to the skin and maintain the relative position of the ultrasound carriers, resulting in clearer and more accurate images," Chun Wang, the study's first author, notes in the press release.
Unique design
The new adhesive layer consists of two thin layers of flexible elastomer encasing a solid middle layer of "hydrogel" (the material that transmits sound waves easily). In contrast to conventional gels, the material used is flexible and stretchable. "The two layers of elastomer prevent drying of the hydrogel layer between them," the team reports.
The bottom rubber layer is designed to stick to the skin, while the top layer is attached to a fixed set of sound wave carriers that the team also designed. The area of the designed adhesive is "2 square centimeters", and its thickness is "3 millimeters". It is the approximate space for a postage stamp.
The researchers tested the patch on healthy volunteers who wore it on different parts of the body such as the neck, chest, abdomen and arms. The patch remained attached to the skin for 48 hours and produced clear images of the internal structures examined. The volunteers were doing many activities such as sitting, standing, jogging, cycling and lifting weights during this period.
look inside
Through the resulting images, the researchers were able to observe the change in the diameter of the main blood vessels while sitting and standing. The patches also captured details of the internal organs, such as how the heart changes shape when exercising. The researchers were also able to watch the stomachs swell and contract while the volunteers drank the juice and when they expelled it.
The researchers were also able to identify some bright spots in the muscles while some volunteers were doing weight lifting, indicating a small temporary damage in those areas. "With this imaging, we may be able to determine the moment when the exerciser should not overtrain and stop before the muscles are damaged," the team states.
“We are confident we have ushered in a new era of wearable imaging. With just a few patches on your outer body, you can see your internal organs,” says Guanhee Zhao, professor of mechanical, civil and environmental engineering and study leader.
The team is currently working on developing the device so that it can work wirelessly. Then patients will be able to wear the ultrasound patches and take them home, and it will also be easy for them to get them from the doctor or pharmacy. Which will help to monitor the various internal organs as well as monitoring the development of tumors and the growth of fetuses in the womb.