A New Laser Technology Can See Inside Our Bodies Like Never Before

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While X-rays can produce harmful radiation, a new technique using laser-induced sound waves provides highly detailed images of the structures in our bodies.

Photoacoustic imaging is an emerging imaging technique that shoots micro-pulses of laser light at a specimen or body part, which selectively heats up parts of the tissue causing them to expand, and generate waves of pressure –– a.k.a. sound waves.

Ultrasonic sensors are situated to capture these microscopic changes, and a processing software then reconstructs the image based on what the sensors “hear.” The speed of the laser can be adjusted depending on what type of tissue one would like to visualize.

The photoacoustic imaging technique is beginning to take off in both the medical and scientific worlds, as it provides us with super clear, incredibly detailed images of the human body and the structures inside it.

Not to mention, the imaging technique causes no discomfort and there is no dangerous ionizing radiation involved, making it a desirable alternative to more traditional imaging, like a CT scan, ultrasound, or a PET scan.

Not only can this new imaging technology be used to image tissues at extremely high resolution, you can also introduce a foreign material, like a contrast dye or a specially designed nanoparticle, to see things you might not be able to otherwise.

Although the technique has been around for more than a century, photoacoustic imaging is just starting to be clinically explored as an alternative and prototype clinical machinery is in development.

Learn more about this revolutionary imaging technique on this episode of Elements.

#Medicine #Imaging #Lasers #Technology #Seeker #Elements #Science

Read More:
Photoacoustic Imaging
"Possessing many attractive characteristics such as the use of non-ionizing electromagnetic waves, good resolution/contrast, portable instrumention, as well as the ability to quantitate the signal to a certain extent, photoacoustic techniques have been applied for the imaging of cancer, wound healing, disorders in the brain, gene expression, among others."

Photoacoustic imaging enables scientists to step up war on cancer
"Photoacoustic imaging delivers exquisitely detailed images of biological tissue purely by listening to the sound that light makes. Ultrashort pulses of laser light of a few billionths of a second are directed at the tissue and selectively absorbed, depending on the colour of different constituents of the tissue."

The Eclectic History of Medical Imaging
"In the 1940s and early 1950s, shoe salesmen flipped a switch and shoppers could see their toes wiggling on fluoroscopes. At their height, some 10,000 of these devices were in use at shoe stores across the United States. X-rays, emitted by a tube mounted near the floor, penetrated the shoes and feet, then struck a fluorescent screen on the other side."

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Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested on all the compelling, innovative and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond.

Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.

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This sounds like a major medical breakthrough.

AvangionQ
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I'm concerned this won't become widespread in the US because of the rampant price-gouging

oAvalono
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Nice! Finally a viable improvement to Human diagnostics. Our scanning tech is in dire need of a serious upgrade.

AlexxMk
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2:34 - Antonio Meucci
: "Bell! that damn copycat"

deepsyk
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Speaking of lasers, I'm thinking of getting laser eye surgery next year...




So I can see in 2020

sebastianelytron
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Coolmix between physics, chemistry, digital image processing, and graphics engineering. Im a graphics programmer, but im still working on a degree. Cant wait to work on cool tech.

kameronbriggs
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Can't wait this feature Available in smartphone

jovildaco
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I remember watching something about this technology in a TED talk. I'm glad to see it's really taking off.

Pomerable
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Physics, engineering, computer science, medicine....
You mean biomedical engineering

ApashePelican
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I love the "take it home" part. Who wants to keep going to the med centers for observations. Best tech for imaging not relating to radiation.

alextrioLee
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WoW, that's amazing. We're getting closer to the *star trek tricorder*

JJs_playground
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*Finally!! The person behind all the voice over Videos of Seek on Youtube is in person*

AwesomeStuff
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This is groundbreaking and is a great development for women's health as well. Uterine cancer and cervical cancer are both hard to spot and very deadly, IUD punctures can be hard to diagnose with current tech and extremely dangerous; basically, healthcare based on internal genitals can be drastically improved by this technology.

oAvalono
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How amazing are those images? Seriously. As a clinician, I can barely imagine how transformative this could be - definitive imaging in real time, by the patient's side, just like an ultrasound, but on steroids.

joetaylor
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Extraordinary research.
Extraordinary episode by Seeker.
Love

bernardvantonder
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Great can't wait to get a loan pay off the medical bills.

Fallen_Ninja
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I guess Doctors can check my heart now since I have a pacemaker installed which doesn't allow MRI.

ahmjamil
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As a medic, I think it would be nice to have something like this on an ambulance. Imagine being able to determine a closed fracture in the field, instead of doing the whole spiel about how you should probably go to the hospital to get checked out because I don't have x ray vision. Now we could, and we could be saving people thousands of dollars in wasted hospital visits. This is just thinking about something simple like fractures. Imagine this as a diagnostic tool to rule out pulmonary embolism are being able to get exact information about a myocardial infarction. Something like this in the field could save lives. An interesting future.

texasdragon
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4:14 HMMM YES, ITS ALL COMING TOGETHER

yuh
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Are you telling me that every time a sci-fi tried to tell me the character was looking through walls with x-ray visors it was actually laser acoustic imaging?

dynamo