2D Ultrasound to 3D Imaging made simpler, cheaper
By MedTech Outlook
The quality of 2D imaging has improved significantly over the years. However, with the course of time and new technologies bursting out of the core, 2D imaging is now considered to be little out-dated. It cannot be compared to the wealth of information that can be comprehended from a high-quality 3D image. The design and development methodologies for inventing new and better products is a very broad concept that begins with an aeon of generation and evolution of ideas to the invention of new products. Reverse Engineering stands out tall among all which completely relies on the reproduction of an existing product with detailed information of its composition. This has inspired the scientists across the world to develop modern technologies in the field of medical science as well.
Computed Tomography (CT) generates a 3D image of the inside of an object from a large series of 2D x-ray images. 3D CT becomes useful because it inspects an object internally without damaging the part in its entirety. Also, portable ultrasound technology is improving, allowing it to access to those areas which were previously impossible due to high cost and its size. There is a major inclination towards 3D imaging for anatomy owing to the limitations of its traditional 2D counterpart. After all, the world perceivable to human eye is in 3D. In order to convert 2D ultrasound into a 3D imaging system, researchers at Duke University have reportedly invented a cheap and ‘easy to integrate’ technology that leverages a microchip which hardly cost around $10. The chip is installed to a snap on attachment that can be connected to any ultrasound probe.
Moreover, this technology does not require any esoteric skills to perform the imaging, the researchers also claim that the patients themselves can scan their body part that they feel are not in motion. This makes the work of a physician much easier for diagnosis.