Image courtesy of Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego.
A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a stretchable ultrasonic array capable of serial, non-invasive, 3D imaging of tissues as deep as 4 centimeters below the surface of human skin, at a spatial resolution of 0.5 millimeters. This new method provides a non-invasive, longer-term alternative to current methods, with improved penetration depth. The device consists of a 16-by-16 array. Each element is composed of a 1-3 composite element and a backing layer made from a silver-epoxy composite designed to absorb excessive vibration, broadening the bandwidth and improving axial resolution.
Wearable ultrasound patches accomplish the detection function of traditional ultrasound and also break through the limitations of traditional ultrasound technology, such as 1-time testing, testing only within hospitals, and the need for staff operation. “This allows patients to continuously monitor their health status anytime, anywhere,” said Sheng Xu, a professor of nanoengineering at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, from whose lab the researched emerged.
The monitoring system has several key applications:
- Monitoring muscles, tendons, and ligaments can help diagnose and treat sports injuries.
- In medical research, serial data on pathological tissues can provide crucial information on the progression of diseases such as cancer, which normally causes cells to stiffen.
- Current treatments for liver and cardiovascular illnesses, along with some chemotherapy agents, may affect tissue stiffness. Continuous elastography could help assess the efficacy and delivery of these medications. This might aid in creating novel treatments.
