Imaging & Diagnostics

Subscribe to this RSS Feed

Researchers have made T-rays into a much stronger directional beam than was previously thought possible — and have done so at room-temperature conditions. This is a breakthrough that should allow future T-ray systems to be smaller, more portable, easier to operate, and much cheaper than current devices.
Read More >>

From delivering care to the developing world, to remote echocardiography, to hearing assessment, telemedicine has opened doors to new and potentially improved forms of diagnosis and treatment. Dermatology is one area in particular that stands to benefit greatly from this technology.
Read More >>

Currently, mammography is the only FDA-approved independent breast cancer screening method — but it has its limitations, and may be ineffective for women with dense breasts — about 25% of women. In addition to being uncomfortable for women, it misses from 15 to 20 percent of breast cancer cases despite conversion to digital mammograms, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
Read More >>

Swedish researchers at Chalmers University are developing new techniques of cancer diagnosis and treatment that utilize the power of microwaves. One method is an alternative to mammography. The other method aims to treat tumors by heating the cancer cells. Eventually, they hope to combine the two methods into one system that detects and treats tumors directly — an example of a growing area of research called theranostics, integration of treatment and diagnosis in a single system (therapeutics + diagnostics).
Read More >>

In yet another example of how medical technology designed for humans in space can also benefit humans on Earth, Radisens Diagnostics (Cork, Ireland) recently announced that it will be working with the European Space Agency to develop a blood testing device. According to the press release, the ESA contracted the company to add a thyroid test to their point-of-care device and wants to use the device as a way to provide astronauts with instant, laboratory-grade results for myriad health conditions.

Read More >>

A team of computer scientists, physicists, and physicians at Harvard have developed a simple yet powerful method of visualizing human arteries that may result in more accurate diagnoses of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The prototype tool, called “HemoVis,” creates a 2D diagram of arteries that performs better than the traditional 3D, rainbow-colored model. In a clinical setting, the tool has been shown to increase diagnostic accuracy from 39 to 91 percent.
Read More >>

The magnetic resonance imaging process usually requires patients to lie still in the machine for up to 45 minutes. Now, that scan time could be cut to just 15 minutes, with a newly developed algorithm from MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics.

Read More >>