Painless Laser Tissue Analysis Could Replace X-Rays Within Five Years

Usually when you go to the doctor and you have a complication beyond the common cold, it's possible and sometimes likely that you'll be stuck with a needle or undergo an x-ray.  Recently, the development of portable devices that use Raman spectrometry could be used to diagnose conditions within the body noninvasively and painlessly.  Some speculate that even blood drawing could become obsolete with the improvement of these painless laser diagnostic tools.

Raman spectroscopy is used in research to "identify molecules through the wavelength and intensity of laser light as it scatters when passing through them."  It's been used on cadavers previously, but technological improvements could herald the use of a faster, cheaper, and potentially more reliable method of diagnosing illnesses.

Researchers at MIT are exploring the use of Raman spectroscopy to test blood for glucose levels without drawing blood.  Tumors, high cholesterol, and tooth decay are also being studied using the same technology.

When ill, the chemical composition of a person's tissues changes, so the idea is to firing a laser at that tissue and via Raman spectroscopy analyze the tissue noninvasively depending on how the light as it scatters as it hits specific molecules.  While slight differences are difficult to read, advances in the technology are being developed to perceive those differences, which could prove incredibly useful.

The potential to reduce lab time and costs for health care systems worldwide would be invaluable.  Some researchers speculate the replacement of the typical mammogram (and an improvement on its capabilities) could well be on the way within the next 5 years.

I found this article interesting because one of the things that keeps me from the doctor is getting stuck with needles.  It's a pain (literally) and it's also annoying to have to wait for your lab results.  Also, when I graduate, I'm going to have to start paying my own medical bills, and the cheaper and better my healthcare is, the happier I'll be.  Also, the potential to help diagnose diseases in developing countries could be improved dramatically, so the fact that something like this could be right around the corner is encouraging.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-09/painless-non-invasive-lasers-could-replace-x-ray-needles-five-years