A graduate student has developed a groundbreaking battery-powered pocket ultrasound device that has dozens of potential applications.
The smallest ultrasound devices currently on the market weight around 30 pounds and cost at least $20,000, however George K Lewis, a graduate student at Cornell University, has developed a high-energy palm-sized device that cost just $100 to build.
It is thought that the device will be useful in a wide range of clinical applications, from treating conditions such as prostate tumors or kidney stones by breaking them up, to relieving symptoms of arthritis, and even helping to treat brain cancer by aiding drug delivery to the brain. Because the device is powered by an internal battery, it means that it will be especially useful for “military, ambulatory, and remote medical applications.”
Peter Henderson, M.D., chief research fellow at Weill Cornell’s Laboratory for Bioregenerative Medicine and Surgery, is currently testing one of the ultrasound devices to see if it can be used to help reduce tissue damage caused by reduced blood flow. “People are realizing that when harnessed appropriately, you can use ultrasound to treat things as opposed to just diagnose them,” Henderson said in a news release. “It’s a wide-open field right now, and George’s device is going to play a huge role in catalyzing the discovery of new and better therapeutic applications.”
Lewis GK. Olbricht WL. Development of a portable therapeutic and high intensity ultrasound system for military, medical, and research use. Rev Sci Instrum. 2008;79:114302
News release: Groundbreaking, inexpensive, pocket-sized ultrasound device can help treat cancer, relieve arthritis. Cornell University. December 18th 2008.
