Futurity.org » endoscopy

Imaging scope may lead to fewer biopsies

Anne Ju-Cornell — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:52:45 +0000

CORNELL (US) — A new imaging scope that can be inserted safely into a patient’s body could minimize the need for unnecessary biopsies.

Researchers at Cornell University are developing prototypes of multiphoton endoscopes that can be used in clinical settings to directly image tissues or tumors. The latest prototype—4 cm in length and 3 mm in diameter—is described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Who’s in the coffin: Gladiator or bishop?

Nicole Casal Moore-Michigan — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:19:38 +0000

The lead coffin archaeologists found in the abandoned ancient city of Gabii, Italy, could contain a gladiator or bishop. Below, Gabii project field director Anna Gallone brushes dirt away from the lead-encased burial. The sarcophagus will soon be transported to the American Academy in Rome, where engineers will use heating techniques and tiny cameras to learn more about the contents without breaking it open. (Courtesy: Jeffrey Becker/McMaster University)

U. MICHIGAN (US)—In the ruins of a city that was once Rome’s neighbor, archaeologists last summer found a 1,000-pound lead coffin. Who or what is inside is still a mystery, says Nicola Terrenato, who leads the project—the largest American dig in Italy in the past 50 years.

The sarcophagus will soon be transported to the American Academy in Rome, where engineers will use heating techniques and tiny cameras in an effort to gain insights about the contents without breaking the coffin itself.

“We’re very excited about this find,” says Terrenato, University of Michigan professor of classical studies. “Romans as a rule were not buried in coffins to begin with and when they did use coffins, they were mostly wooden. There are only a handful of other examples from Italy of lead coffins from this age—the second, third, or fourth century A.D. We know of virtually no others in this region.”

Infrared scanners scope out early cancer

Aaron Hoover-Florida — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:34:33 +0000

Engineer Huikai Xie displays a micro-endoscope developed in his laboratory at the University of Florida. Smaller than a pencil eraser, the device contains a scanner that can “see” beneath the surface of internal tissues. The goal is to reveal abnormal groups of cells before cancerous growths are big enough to be spotted by traditional camera-equipped endoscopes. (Credit: Ray Carson, UF News Bureau)

U. FLORIDA (US)—Traditional endoscopes provide a peek inside patients’ bodies. Now, an engineering researcher is designing ones capable of “seeing” beneath the surface of tissues.

Physicians currently insert camera-equipped endoscopes into patients to hunt visible abnormalities, such as tumors, in the gastrointestinal tract and internal organs. Huikai Xie, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Florida, is working on replacing the cameras with scanners that reveal abnormal groups of cells or growth patterns before cancerous growths are large enough to be visible.