Handheld Tumor Imaging Device

Handheld Tumor Imaging Device
Aug-07-14
A new device able to non-invasively measure melanoma tumor depth could help physicians determine the best way to approach treatment.

Although melanoma tumors are usually easy to spot, determining how deep they lie beneath the skin can be more difficult. To offer an alternative to current methods, a team from Washington University in St. Louis created a hand-held device that uses sounds waves and lasers to create a "photoacoutic" effect able to measure the tumors from the surface of the skin. Once the device has been positioned over the tumor, it emits a laser beam that causes the tumor to vibrate in response to the amount of energy absorbed by the light-sensitive melanin. And because melanoma tumors produce much more melanin than healthy skin, the reflected signal can be used to determine the size and shape of the tumor.

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[MEDGADGET.COM]
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