Visualizing tactile feedback: an overview of current technologies with a focus on ultrasound elastography

Frontiers in Medical Technology

Medical Technology

Sriramana Sankar¹  Nitish V. Thakor²  Max J. Kerensky³  Avisha Kumar³  Amir Manbachi⁴  Kelley M. Kempski Leadingham⁵ 

[1] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States;HEPIUS Innovation Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States;HEPIUS Innovation Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;HEPIUS Innovation Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States;

关键词: ultrasound imaging;    elastography;    tactile sensors;    tissue palpation;    micromachined ultrasound transducers;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmedt.2023.1238129

 received in 2023-06-10, accepted in 2023-09-14,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Tissue elasticity remains an essential biomarker of health and is indicative of irregularities such as tumors or infection. The timely detection of such abnormalities is crucial for the prevention of disease progression and complications that arise from late-stage illnesses. However, at both the bedside and the operating table, there is a distinct lack of tactile feedback for deep-seated tissue. As surgical techniques advance toward remote or minimally invasive options to reduce infection risk and hasten healing time, surgeons lose the ability to manually palpate tissue. Furthermore, palpation of deep structures results in decreased accuracy, with the additional barrier of needing years of experience for adequate confidence of diagnoses. This review delves into the current modalities used to fulfill the clinical need of quantifying physical touch. It covers research efforts involving tactile sensing for remote or minimally invasive surgeries, as well as the potential of ultrasound elastography to further this field with non-invasive real-time imaging of the organ’s biomechanical properties. Elastography monitors tissue response to acoustic or mechanical energy and reconstructs an image representative of the elastic profile in the region of interest. This intuitive visualization of tissue elasticity surpasses the tactile information provided by sensors currently used to augment or supplement manual palpation. Focusing on common ultrasound elastography modalities, we evaluate various sensing mechanisms used for measuring tactile information and describe their emerging use in clinical settings where palpation is insufficient or restricted. With the ongoing advancements in ultrasound technology, particularly the emergence of micromachined ultrasound transducers, these devices hold great potential in facilitating early detection of tissue abnormalities and providing an objective measure of patient health.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© 2023 Kumar, Kempski Leadingham, Kerensky, Sankar, Thakor and Manbachi.