| Photodetectors Bring Enhanced Imaging to the Surgical Suite |
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| Feb 01 2008 | |
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Advertisement: In the planning stage prior to surgery, the BioScanIR identifies vessels that perfuse the donor flap, or the area of skin and muscle that will form a new breast. Ordinarily, the Doppler ultrasound method, which is operator-dependent and time-consuming, is used to identify these vessels. With BioScanIR, this determination can be made in 20 seconds, with the better reliability of an objective measurement tool and no physical contact with the patient. After surgery, the mobile BioScanIR unit can be moved to the bedside to monitor post-surgical perfusion, to ensure that the vessels remain open, in turn ensuring a successful reconstruction. This method would replace an intensive period of visual inspection provided by a dedicated nurse who has been trained to look for pale or blue skin, which are at best subjective indicators of flap health. Determination of feeder vessels is also important in assessing the integrity of bypass grafts in heart surgery and in reattachment procedures in trauma cases. In neurosurgery, direct infrared imaging can provide a better look at blood-flow-induced changes on the surface of the cerebral cortex, important in surgery for the treatment of seizure disorders and the excision of brain tumors. A number of monitoring techniques are used for this purpose — among them, the traditional electroencephalogram (EEG). However, EEG electrodes require contact with the brain surface, a procedure known to increase the risk of seizure and infection, and EEG-based analysis often requires multiple cranial surgeries. MRI scanning is also used for this purpose but it is very expensive and limited in application. It also restricts the surgeon to the use of nonmagnetic instruments. In a case study, BioScanIR has been used to successfully outline the margins of a brain malignancy. Determination of normal versus abnormal is especially critical in a region where the removal of excess tissue may cause irreversible loss of function. Furthermore, the same imaging technique was used to determine that a particular region of the brain “lit up” in response to physical stimulation of the hand and arm, allowing the surgeon to avoid that area and spare the patient’s use of her limb. Where it Stands BioScanIR’s most promising performance is currently in blood-flow studies related to surgeries and tissue integrity, but it also has future potential as an adjunct device for monitoring cancer patients during chemotherapy, and as a tool in drug-discovery applications. For development and refinement of cancer-related applications, BioScanIR has been installed in pilot programs at Harvard University’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the University and Hospital Center at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, and the Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, NY. In addition, Advanced BioPhotonics has entered into an agreement with the Research Foundation of the SUNY at Stony Brook to investigate the use of the BioScanIR in cancerdrug discovery and breast-cancer diagnosis. Other potential uses of BioScanIR include assessment of limb integrity in patients with diabetes complications or other peripheral vascular disorders. More Information For more information on Advanced BioPhotonics’ BioScanIR system, click here. (Source: MDA TechUpdate, Missile Defense Agency, National Technology Transfer Center Washington Operations.) Prev: Hyperspectral Imaging Puts Focus on Diagnosing Eye Diseases Next: Real-Time Measurements Improve High-Energy Laser Optical Coatings |
