Tiny Optical Ultrasound Needle to Revolutionize Heart Surgery

Currently, doctors rely on external ultrasound probes combined with pre-operative imaging scans to visualize soft tissue and organs during keyhole procedures, as the miniature surgical instruments used do not support internal ultrasound imaging. Now, heart tissue can now be imaged in real-time during keyhole procedures using a new optical ultrasound needle developed by researchers at University College London  and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The technology has been successfully used for minimally invasive heart surgery in pigs, giving an unprecedented, high-resolution view of soft tissues up to 2.5 cm in front of the instrument, inside the body. The technology uses a miniature optical fiber encased within a customized clinical needle to deliver a brief pulse of light which generates ultrasonic pulses. Reflections of these ultrasonic pulses from tissue are detected by a sensor on a second optical fibre, giving real-time ultrasound imaging to guide surgery.

Transcript

00:00:00 [Music] all optical ultrasound provides high-performance imaging from within the body using components that are readily integrated into a wide range of very small medical devices now optical ultrasound involves both the transmission and the reception of ultrasound using fiber optics this concept is very novel when applied to a

00:00:33 real medical device that can be used in clinical practice the results of this study showed that all optical ultrasound really does work in a clinically realistic environment we took these devices into a preclinical model and showed that we were able to see the tissue just in fact better than we'd even hoped in most minimally invasive procedures

00:00:54 we're reliant on imaging from outside the body so to have direct imaging from the device itself is obviously a huge step forward ultrasound transmission takes place with the photo acoustic effect where pulsed light is converted to ultrasound and we also use an optical fiber to receive ultrasound waves that are reflected from tissue we needed to develop new materials to make all

00:01:18 optical ultrasound imaging possible one of the materials which was developed together with our colleagues in chemistry is a composite material that comprises both silicone and an optical absorber called carbon nanotubes this technology is very well suited to minimally invasive procedures we're achieving high performance imaging within very small devices is of

00:01:40 paramount importance so in many minimally invasive procedures we reliant on imaging taken from outside the body but here for the first time we're able to actually image directly from that device itself and so we can it's as if you're inside looking out and looking at what the devices inside the body are actually going to touch and do and in the procedure you're performing directly

00:02:03 transept or puncture means passing a needle from the right side of the heart to the left side of the heart and we do this to treat common disorders such as atrial fibrillation or for valve disease we can integrate optical ultrasound into many different surgical techniques and devices and I really think there are some critical areas which will benefit from being able

00:02:24 to get imaging whereas before we've not been able to have anything one for example will be in womb surgery fetal surgery which there are active projects going on in ECL another one will be other forms of heart surgery which really do need better forms of imaging I'm really looking forward to green this device into use in the clinic and to benefit my patients

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