ISU CENTER CONDUCTS RESEARCH ON SURGICAL IMPROVEMENTS

Scientists at ISU collaborating with UI to reduce surgery recovery time

AMES, Iowa -- Surgical patients may benefit from improved techniques developed by two Iowa universities and funded in part by a $600,000 gift from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine.

Scientists at Iowa State University's Center for Nondestructive Evaluation are using their expertise and tools such as ultrasound and X-ray for inspecting engineered parts to break new ground in image-guided surgery. Experts from the University of Iowa's department of radiology, led by Dr. Michael Vannier, are providing advice and guiding the research to address important medical issues.

Researchers at both universities are confident their work will one day improve surgical procedures. "In these projects, unique expertise developed for nondestructive evaluation of structural materials is now being applied to biomedical imaging. Because these capabilities are complimentary to those currently used in medicine, they promise to enable significant improvements in imaging capabilities, making an important impact on human health," said Bruce Thompson, CNDE director.

The scientists are developing techniques that should improve surgery success rate and recovery time without increasing the invasiveness of procedures. Four major areas are being investigated:

X-ray contrast agents: Contrast agents, such as iodine dyes, are used to prepare for the X-ray images of blood vessels, known as angiograms. Not only do some patients experience pain when given iodine, but iodine also lacks the sensitivity of other contrast agents that could provide more precise images of arteries. UI radiologist Dr. Brian Mullan and chemist Lou Messerle are providing input on alternative contrast agents that could be used with high-resolution X-ray techniques developed by CNDE scientist Joe Gray. By taking advantage of the fact that X-rays are absorbed at varying levels by different tissues, scientists can achieve stronger visual contrast in angiograms. Improved contrast agents should enable faster cancer diagnoses as well as other medical benefits.

Brachytherapy: An innovative treatment for prostate cancer, brachytherapy involves planting radioactive seeds in the prostate and applying radiation to eliminate tumors. For the best results, the proper dose of radiation must be delivered to the correct location. However, properly positioning the seeds becomes difficult when diseased tissue swells or the patient shifts position. To overcome these challenges, CNDE researchers are developing computational techniques with data from digital radiography and ultrasound images to estimate changes to the radiation field in real time as the insertion procedure progresses. A display of the radiation field, shape of the prostate gland and distribution of radioactive seeds will make evaluation of the procedure's progress easier for medical staff. With real-time visual feedback, staff can correct steps if necessary and improve the procedure's success rate.

"These techniques are possible only through vast amounts of data acquisition and computational power with near real-time execution speeds, all developed at CNDE. They should significantly enhance the quality and success rate of the brachytherapy procedure," said Feyzi Inanc, CNDE scientist.

From 2-D to 3-D ultrasound: Though ultrasound images have traditionally been two-dimensional, scientists have the capability to add a third dimension by combining multiple, two-dimensional image slices. More comprehensive ultrasonic images would provide benefits not only in prenatal care but in cancer diagnosis, study of vital organs and image-guided surgery. CNDE researcher Viren Amin is establishing an experimental system to compare raw, unprocessed ultrasound data with data from UI's state-of-the-art digital ultrasound scanner. One application of advanced ultrasound imaging would be improved brachytherapy procedures. With enhanced imaging capabilities, doctors could place radioactive seeds in ideal locations for treating prostate cancer.

Intravascular ultrasound imaging: Heart disease is identified by plaques of cholesterol and other build-up in blood vessels of the heart. By merging CNDE's expertise in ultrasonic signal analysis and UI's expertise in plaque physiology, Amin and CNDE's Ron Roberts, with guidance from UI's Dr. Steve Lentz and engineer Milan Sonka, are measuring the difference in how healthy and diseased tissues scatter waves. Real-time, cross-sectional ultrasound images of heart-vessel walls may improve treatments by identifying differences in density and elasticity in healthy and diseased tissue. Currently, scientists are studying how catheters could be used to collect ultrasound data in patients with minimal invasiveness.

Future plans for the projects include continuing to develop detailed laboratory studies, which will lead to clinical evaluations of the new techniques. Down the road, instruments based on the techniques will bring these capabilities to the operating room.

CNDE is a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center that focuses on the research and development of new theories and techniques for use in quantitative nondestructive evaluation. It is a member of the Institute for Physical Research and Technology, a network of research, technology-transfer and industrial-outreach centers at ISU.

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Last updated September 6, 2006 rbm