New tools for blocked arteries - GoFuckYourself.com

Juicy D. Links · 08-08-2004, 12:53 AM

Biophysicists in the UK have made the smallest ever ultrasound probe for use in surgery. The device, designed and developed by Robert Dickinson and Richard Kitney of Imperial College in London, is just 1 millimetre in diameter (Phys. Med. Biol. 49 3527). It could be used to image diseased coronary arteries and work out why they have become blocked. It could also overcome some of the limitations of conventional scanning techniques used during surgical operations.

Certain surgical procedures can now be carried by inserting tiny surgical instruments through small cuts in the human body. Known as "minimal access surgery", a surgeon carries out the procedure by watching a monitor showing images taken by a fibre-optic camera inserted into the body. The technique would, however, benefit from improved imaging methods. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide good images of tissue below the surface of the body, the scanning equipment is usually far too big to be used in an operating theatre.

Figure 1

The new device made by Dickinson and Kitney takes images using ultrasound. It contains 64 crystal piezoelectric transducers that are made to generate pulses of sound waves, which reflect off the tissue under investigation. This pulse is then received by the transducers working in "reverse", which convert the mechanical vibrations into an electrical signal. A detailed 3D image of the structure producing the echo can be built up by measuring the time taken for the pulse to return, together with the position of the transducer.

Figure 2

Dickinson and Kitney were able to make their tiny probe thanks to an improved fabrication method. They started by assembling all the necessary components on a flat flexible substrate -- a 0.019-mm thick polyimide sheet with a 3-4 micron copper layer, etched using photolithography techniques. Next, they bonded a 2.4-mm squared rectangle of metallized piezo-electric transducer, 0.05-mm thick, to the substrate. They then diced the transducer using a carefully controlled diamond saw to create 64 elements, each 0.8-mm long, 0.03-mm wide and 0.05-mm thick. Finally, they rolled the substrate into a cylinder (figures 1 and 2).

Figure 3

The scans provided by the new probe will provide information on the extent to which diseased arteries are thickened and blocked (figure 3). The team also plans to investigate other applications such as keyhole surgery of shoulder and knee joints.

VeriSexy · 08-08-2004, 01:15 AM

http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/5

http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showth...adid=337822&s=

Firehorse · 08-08-2004, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by VeriSexy
http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/5

http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showth...adid=337822&s=

You and Juicy are making a good team!

digifan · 08-08-2004, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Firehorse
You and Juicy are making a good team!

KRL · 08-08-2004, 03:35 PM

I just wish someone could make it really simple and come up with that little gadget "Bones" McCoy used on Star Trek.

That one little device could fix anything.

08-08-2004, 12:53 AM	#1
Juicy D. Links So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: N.Y. -Long Island -- Posts: 122,992	New tools for blocked arteries Biophysicists in the UK have made the smallest ever ultrasound probe for use in surgery. The device, designed and developed by Robert Dickinson and Richard Kitney of Imperial College in London, is just 1 millimetre in diameter (Phys. Med. Biol. 49 3527). It could be used to image diseased coronary arteries and work out why they have become blocked. It could also overcome some of the limitations of conventional scanning techniques used during surgical operations. Certain surgical procedures can now be carried by inserting tiny surgical instruments through small cuts in the human body. Known as "minimal access surgery", a surgeon carries out the procedure by watching a monitor showing images taken by a fibre-optic camera inserted into the body. The technique would, however, benefit from improved imaging methods. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide good images of tissue below the surface of the body, the scanning equipment is usually far too big to be used in an operating theatre. Figure 1 The new device made by Dickinson and Kitney takes images using ultrasound. It contains 64 crystal piezoelectric transducers that are made to generate pulses of sound waves, which reflect off the tissue under investigation. This pulse is then received by the transducers working in "reverse", which convert the mechanical vibrations into an electrical signal. A detailed 3D image of the structure producing the echo can be built up by measuring the time taken for the pulse to return, together with the position of the transducer. Figure 2 Dickinson and Kitney were able to make their tiny probe thanks to an improved fabrication method. They started by assembling all the necessary components on a flat flexible substrate -- a 0.019-mm thick polyimide sheet with a 3-4 micron copper layer, etched using photolithography techniques. Next, they bonded a 2.4-mm squared rectangle of metallized piezo-electric transducer, 0.05-mm thick, to the substrate. They then diced the transducer using a carefully controlled diamond saw to create 64 elements, each 0.8-mm long, 0.03-mm wide and 0.05-mm thick. Finally, they rolled the substrate into a cylinder (figures 1 and 2). Figure 3 The scans provided by the new probe will provide information on the extent to which diseased arteries are thickened and blocked (figure 3). The team also plans to investigate other applications such as keyhole surgery of shoulder and knee joints.

08-08-2004, 01:15 AM	#2
VeriSexy Join The Royal Family Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 25,463	http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/5 http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showth...adid=337822&s= __________________ Looking for a KICK ASS TEEN SPONSOR? Check out ROYAL CASH - THE KING OF TEEN! Incredible webmaster tools FHGs, Morphing Blog and RSS Feeds, Embedded FLV & WMV Videos. With TOP RATIO Sites like TeenStarsOnly.com - Earn $$ with our New Site & Bonus Payouts!! ATMovs.com \| iTeenVideo.com \| TeenSexMovs.com \| TeenSexMania.com

08-08-2004, 03:35 PM	#5
KRL Entrepreneur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 31,429	I just wish someone could make it really simple and come up with that little gadget "Bones" McCoy used on Star Trek. That one little device could fix anything. __________________ If you would like to develop your domains, you can lease inexpensive foreign labor from the leaders in the field at iWebmasters.com TO LOWER YOUR COSTS AND INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTION! * * * * * * * * * * * * Domains Adult News KRL's Newsletter Biz Tips Just Listed Domains