October 1, 2006 — Ultrasound uses sound waves that bounce off body parts, producing echoes. A computer translates the echoes into images that rival the quality of CAT scans and MRIs, showing broken bones, muscle problems, or changes in organs. Ultrasound devices are also cheaper and can be carried almost anywhere -- from ambulances to the International Space Station.
DETROIT -- From space to sports, the ultrasound machine is getting around, ultrasound is not just for babies anymore!
Trauma surgeon Scott Dulchavsky is not just teaching med students or doctors how to use the new portable ultrasound machine. He's teaching astronauts and athletes!
"Today on our space station, there is no physician, Dr. Dulchavsky, of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, tells DBIS. ”There is, right now, an ultrasound machine."
The astronauts can do the ultrasound to themselves. The image is sent to mission control where doctors can guide them through it. "To say, 'Wait a minute, that image isn't quite right. Could you move the probe, the transducer, an inch towards your head,'" Dr. Dulchavsky says.
The technology doesn't stop in space. It can be used on athletes anywhere, any time! Right now it's used by the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Redwings. Learning how to use a portable ultrasound machine takes about two hours, and Dr. Dulchavsky says anyone can be trained. He first tested it out on maintenance and cleaning crews at his hospital.
"I was in a Starbucks one time when I got that call. I had my portable computer. I guided him through an examination right like that," he says.
Ultrasound uses sound waves that bounce off body parts, producing echoes. A computer translates the echoes into an image showing broken bones, muscle problems, or changes in organs.
Dr. Dulchavsky says, "We're able to see images that rival the quality of CAT scans and MRIs."
The main difference -- cost! MRIs and cat scans cost more than $1 million. Portable ultrasound machines cost $20,000.
"We could take these devices and place them across the country or in ambulances or in community centers," Dr. Dulchavsky says. The next step is the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.
BACKGROUND: The National Space Biomedical Research Institute has worked with a surgeon to develop an ultrasound training program for non-physicians. The program gives astronauts and sports trainers the tools to assess injuries using real-time remote assistance from medical experts. Four crews of the International Space Station have been successfully trained in the method, which has been extended to include athletic trainers of members of the 2006 Winter Olympics and a National Pro Hockey team. The surgeon, Scott Dulchavsky, is also working with the military, fire and rescue agencies, since the method could benefit search and rescue operations in remote areas where a doctor might not be readily available in person.
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Ultrasound has long been used to diagnose a variety of medical conditions, including problem pregnancies, gallstones, and kidney stones. It is also a useful tool to diagnose medical emergencies that could occur in space missions. The program transmits high-quality images from ultrasound scans by satellite to trained medical personnel on earth, who could then suggest appropriate treatment. The images are transmitted in real time, with only a slight delay depending on the exact location of the astronauts in orbit.
HOW ULTRASOUND WORKS: Ultrasound is a medical imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves and their echoes. It is similar to how bats navigate in the dark, and the SONAR used by submarines underwater. The machine transmits high-frequency sound pulses into the body using a probe. The sound waves travel through the body and bounce off any boundaries, such as between fluid and soft tissue, tissue and bone. Some of the sound waves are reflected back to the probe, while others travel further through until they bounce off another boundary. All the reflected waves are recorded by the machine, which then calculates the distance each sound wave traveled based on how long it took the sound wave's echo to return. This data is used to form a two-dimensional image based on the distances and intensities of those echoes.
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
Note: This story and accompanying video were originally produced for the American Institute of Physics series Discoveries and Breakthroughs in Science by Ivanhoe Broadcast News and are protected by copyright law. All rights reserved.
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