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.