Wearable ultrasound patch provide non-invasive deep tissue monitoring
More effectively measuring tissue stiffness could help treat cancer,
sports injuries and more

Date:
May 2, 2023
Source:
University of California - San Diego
Summary:
Engineers have developed a stretchable ultrasonic array capable
of serial, non-invasive, three-dimensional imaging of tissues as
deep as four centimeters below the surface of human skin, at a
spatial resolution of 0.5 millimeters. This new method provides
a non-invasive, longer-term alternative to current methods, with
improved penetration depth.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has
developed a stretchable ultrasonic array capable of serial, non-invasive, three-dimensional imaging of tissues as deep as four centimeters below the surface of human skin, at a spatial resolution of 0.5 millimeters. This
new method provides a non- invasive, longer-term alternative to current methods, with improved penetration depth.

The research emerges from the lab of Sheng Xu, a professor of
nanoengineering at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and
corresponding author of the study. The paper, "Stretchable ultrasonic
arrays for the three-dimensional mapping of the modulus of deep tissue,"
is published in the May 1, 2023 issue of Nature Biomedical Engineering.

"We invented a wearable device that can frequently evaluate the stiffness
of human tissue," said Hongjie Hu, a postdoctoral researcher in the
Xu group and study coauthor. "In particular, we integrated an array of ultrasound elements into a soft elastomer matrix and used wavy serpentine stretchable electrodes to connect these elements, enabling the device
to conform to human skin for serial assessment of tissue stiffness."
The elastography monitoring system can provide serial, non-invasive and
three- dimensional mapping of mechanical properties for deep tissues. This
has several key applications:
* In medical research, serial data on pathological tissues can provide
crucial information on the progression of diseases such as cancer,
which normally causes cells to stiffen.

* Monitoring muscles, tendons and ligaments can help diagnose
and treat
sports injuries.

* Current treatments for liver and cardiovascular illnesses,
along with
some chemotherapy agents, may affect tissue stiffness. Continuous
elastography could help assess the efficacy and delivery of these
medications. This might aid in creating novel treatments.

In addition to monitoring cancerous tissues, this technology can also
be applied in other scenarios:
* Monitoring of fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. By using this
technology to evaluate the severity of liver fibrosis, medical
professionals can accurately track the progression of the disease
and determine the most appropriate course of treatment.

* Assessing musculoskeletal disorders such as tendonitis, tennis
elbow and
carpal tunnel syndrome. By monitoring changes in tissue stiffness,
this technology can provide valuable insight into the progression
of these conditions, allowing doctors to develop individualized
treatment plans for their patients.

* Diagnosis and monitoring for myocardial ischemia. By monitoring
arterial
wall elasticity, doctors can identify early signs of the condition
and make timely interventions to prevent further damage.

Wearable ultrasound patches accomplish the detection function of
traditional ultrasound and also break through the limitations of
traditional ultrasound technology, such as one-time testing, testing
only within hospitals and the need for staff operation.

"This allows patients to continuously monitor their health status anytime, anywhere," said Hu.

This could help reduce misdiagnoses and fatalities, as well as
significantly cutting costs by providing a non-invasive and low-cost alternative to traditional diagnostic procedures.

"This new wave of wearable ultrasound technology is driving a
transformation in the healthcare monitoring field, improving patient
outcomes, reducing healthcare costs and promoting the widespread adoption
of point-of-care diagnosis," said Yuxiang Ma, a visiting student in the
Xu group and study coauthor. "As this technology continues to develop,
it is likely that we will see even more significant advances in the
field of medical imaging and healthcare monitoring." The array conforms
to human skin and acoustically couples with it, allowing for accurate elastographic imaging validated with magnetic resonance elastography.

In testing, the device was used to map three-dimensional distributions of
the Young's modulus of tissues ex vivo, to detect microstructural damage
in the muscles of volunteers prior to the onset of soreness and monitor
the dynamic recovery process of muscle injuries during physiotherapy.

The device consists of a 16 by 16 array. Each element is composed of a 1-
3 composite element and a backing layer made from a silver-epoxy composite designed to absorb excessive vibration, broadening the bandwidth and
improving axial resolution.

Professor Xu is now commercializing this technology via Softsonics LLC.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Medical_Devices # Medical_Imaging # Today's_Healthcare
# Diseases_and_Conditions
o Matter_&_Energy
# Medical_Technology # Wearable_Technology # Ultrasound
# Technology
* RELATED_TERMS
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========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_California_-_San_Diego. Original written by Emerson
Dameron. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* The_Patch ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hongjie Hu, Yuxiang Ma, Xiaoxiang Gao, Dawei Song, Mohan Li,
Hao Huang,
Xuejun Qian, Ray Wu, Keren Shi, Hong Ding, Muyang Lin, Xiangjun
Chen, Wenbo Zhao, Baiyan Qi, Sai Zhou, Ruimin Chen, Yue Gu,
Yimu Chen, Yusheng Lei, Chonghe Wang, Chunfeng Wang, Yitian
Tong, Haotian Cui, Abdulhameed Abdal, Yangzhi Zhu, Xinyu Tian,
Zhaoxin Chen, Chengchangfeng Lu, Xinyi Yang, Jing Mu, Zhiyuan Lou,
Mohammad Eghtedari, Qifa Zhou, Assad Oberai, Sheng Xu. Stretchable
ultrasonic arrays for the three-dimensional mapping of the
modulus of deep tissue. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2023; DOI:
10.1038/s41551-023-01038-w ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230502201346.htm

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