Researchers invented ultrasound needle for internal surgical images

Researchers invented ultrasound needle for internal surgical images

As we may have it, minimally invasive surgeries are best preferred because they typically mean less scar tissue, shorter recovery time and a lower risk of contracting an infection as a result of the surgery. Nevertheless, invasive surgeries also have their downsides as well as the case may be. So, getting a good look at the tissue being targeted during a minimally invasive surgery can be quite a herculean task, and often surgeons are limited to using external ultrasound probes and imaging scans taken prior to surgery. But just lately, new research has been published and it presents a potential new option, which is actually one of its kind, it is an Optical Ultrasound Needle.

Furthermore, within the Optical Ultrasound Needle are two optical fibers. One of the optical fibers generates ultrasonic pulses by delivering brief flashes of light and the other Optical Ultrasound Needle detects the light that is reflected back by the tissues in the body. As you may be wondering, " the whole process happens extremely quickly, giving an unprecedented real-time view of soft tissue," Richard Colchester, who is an author of the study, said in a short statement. " Using inexpensive optical fibres, we have been able to achieve a high-resolution imaging using needle tips under 1 mm in size," said co-author by name Adrien Desjardins.

Nevertheless, so far, the researchers have tested the ultrasound needle during heart surgery in pigs and they hope to test it out in other clinical applications very soon that use minimally invasive techniques as well. They are also working earnestly towards using the technology in humans.

Medical doctors using the Optical Ultrasound Needle during surgery

 

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