Description:
- Abdominal disease (e.g., kidney and liver cancers)
- Musculoskeletal abnormalities (e.g., talipes equinovarus and hip dysplasia)
- Young children who cannot be imaged with MRI or CT without anesthesia
Abstract
USC inventors propose a low-cost, non-ionizing volumetric imaging system that enables acquisition of MR and CT format multi-slice volumes for general screening and diagnosis in pediatric patients. The invention uses a system of large semi-cylindrical arrays constructed using modular arrays of ultrasonic transducers and electronics to create successively larger and more complex imaging systems. The resolution parallels that of volume image data sets obtained through CT and MR, without the need for anesthesia or radiation exposure.
Benefit
- Inexpensive and highly portable
- Real-time 3D imaging modality
- High resolution
- Avoids concerns of claustrophobia and ionizing radiation as in CT and MRI scanners
Market Application
Ultrasound (US) is a portable, low-cost imaging technique that allows for real-time visualization without ionizing radiation. US could be a promising tool for clinical screening studies, especially to detect abdominal disease and musculoskeletal abnormalities in young children. However, the usefulness of US as a general-purpose tool is constrained by several limitations: (1) slow 3D volumetric imaging speed, (2) a compromise between depth of penetration and resolution, and (3) the expensive nature of implementing large 2D arrays to generate volume datasets.
Publications
Other
Stage of Development
- Functional prototype developed
- Available for licensing