Post on 29-Dec-2015
3-D Medical Scanner
Anthony D’OnofrioBME 281 Section 2, Tuesdays
11/27/12
Currently
• Primary care physicians currently rely on instruments that are essentially magnifying glasses to check for ear and eye infections
• They only allow doctors to check for inflammation of the ears and eyes
New 3-D Device• Handheld scanner – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign– Image all the sites they examine and more• Bacterial colonies in the middle ear in 3-D • Monitor the thickness and health of patients' retinas.
• Relies on optical coherence tomography (OCT) – Visualization technology – Similar to ultrasound imaging • Uses light instead of sound to produce the images.
Basic Components• The scanners include three basic components• Near-infrared light source and OCT system • Video camera
• Used to relay real-time images of surface features and scan locations
• Microelectromechanical (MEMS) based scanner to direct the light
• Near-infrared wavelengths of light penetrate deeper into human tissues than other wavelengths
• By measuring the time it takes the light to bounce back from these tissues, computer algorithms build a picture of that tissue
Future• Faster more accurate scans • Give doctors a way to monitor conditions, and possibly
make more efficient and accurate referrals to specialists.
• Diabetic patients also benefit. • About 40 to 45 percent of diabetics develop leaky blood
vessels in their retinas • Retinopathy, • Lead to thickening of the retina, blurry vision, and eventually
blindness. • Allow doctors to monitor the health of the retina,
potentially catching retinopathy in its early stages. • Changes in the eye could help doctors diagnose diabetes
Work Cited• "3-D Medical Scanner: New Handheld Imaging Device to
Aid Doctors On the 'Diagnostic Front Lines'" ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 02 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.
• Jenkins, Darrin. "New 3D Medical Imaging Device to Help Doctors on the Front Lines."Health and Medicine
News, Health Tips. Tech Buzz, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Nov.
• Stark, Angela. "3-D Medical Scanner." 3-D Medical Scanner. AAAS- Science Society and Optical Society of America, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.
• Stark, Angela. "The Optical Society." Journal of Optics and Photonics News & Policy of America (OSA). The Optic Society, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.