Ultrasound patch for measuring the stiffness of tissues under the skin

2023: Ultrasound Patch Announcement

On May 2, 2023, American experts from the University of California, San Diego announced the development of a special ultrasonic patch that allows you to analyze tissue stiffness at a depth of up to 4 cm under the skin. The collected data can be used for various medical purposes, including monitoring liver cirrhosis, the progression of malignancies, the consequences of sports injuries, etc.

The ultrasound method is widely used in healthcare, but usually requires clinic visits. Moreover, scanning is often carried out many times at certain time intervals, which is why patients are forced to make an appointment with a specialist several times. This creates certain inconveniences and leads to additional financial costs. The new method makes it possible to partially solve problems.

Ultrasound patch for measuring the stiffness of tissues under the skin

The created patch is an extensible ultrasonic lattice in the form of an array of 16×16 elements. The article provides spatial resolution of 0.5 mm. The matrix fits snugly to human skin, which helps improve imaging accuracy. The coefficient of stretching along two axes reaches 40%. The total size of the patch is 23×20×0,8 mm.

The proposed technology circumvents the limitations inherent in traditional ultrasound diagnostics, such as one-time scanning, the need to use stationary equipment, and the availability of qualified personnel. The patch gives patients the ability to collect data on their condition at any time and anywhere. This can help reduce misdiagnoses and deaths, and significantly reduce costs by providing a non-invasive and inexpensive alternative to traditional diagnostic procedures. It is expected that the development will find wide application in medicine, professional sports and other areas where tracking the state of body tissues is of great importance.^[1]

Notes