New Imaging Technology Promising for Diagnosing Cardiovascular Disease

Researchers at Purdue University were the first to display the release of photoacoustic signals when chemical bonds in molecules absorb light.  A new technique to create 3-D images of arteries and veins using nanosecond laser pulses in the near infrared spectra has been created.  The pulsed laser causes tissue to heat and expand locally, generating pressure waves at the ultrasound frequency that can be picked up with a device called a transducer.   The imaging reveals the presence of carbon-hydrogen bonds making up lipid molecules in arterial plaques that cause heart disease, so this technique can be used to identify and diagnose cardiovascular artery disease.

I found this article intriguing, because it provides a method which could be used to quantitatively measure the effects of CAD treatments such as the effects of the nanobots from our semester project.  Also, there are pictures of images taken of pig tissues on the website which are pretty neat as well.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110609173720.htm