Radiation, used to treat half of all cancer patients, can be measured during treatment with precise 3D imaging developed at the University of Michigan.
By capturing and amplifying tiny sound waves created when X-rays heat tissues in the body, medical professionals can map the radiation dose within the body, giving them new data to guide treatments in real time. It’s a first-of-its-kind view of an interaction doctors have previously been unable to “see.”
With real-time 3D imaging, doctors can more accurately direct the radiation toward cancerous cells and limit the exposure of adjacent tissues. To do that, they simply need to “listen.”
When X-rays are absorbed by tissues in the body, they are turned into thermal energy. That heating causes the tissue to expand rapidly, and that expansion creates a sound wave.
The acoustic wave is weak and usually undetectable by typical ultrasound technology. U-M’s new ionizing radiation acoustic imaging system detects the wave with an array of ultrasonic transducers positioned on the patient’s side. The signal is amplified and then transferred into an ultrasound device for image reconstruction.
With the images in-hand, an oncology clinic can alter the level or trajectory of radiation during the process to ensure safer and more effective treatments.
Another benefit of U-M’s technology is it can be easily added to current radiation therapy equipment without drastically changing the processes that clinicians are used to.
