Welcome back!
I hope everyone had a fantastic spring break and is ready to get back to work.
One aspect of my project is becoming familiar with the research that is already out there. Over the last few weeks, I have looked at journal articles about laser scanners and how they have been applied for medical purposes.
I noticed that researchers were actually using different types of laser scanners. While all of them are noninvasive, they give different information about a patient.
The most basic of these is confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). CLSM uses a lens with a pinhole to eliminate unfocused light. This creates beams that are able to assess different depths on the object. This picture shows how the process works. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confocal_microscopy#/media/File:Confocalprinciple_in_English.svg
Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) is used to measure blood flow under the skin. An infrared laser is emitted and hits blood cells. This causes a change in wavelength based on how fast the blood is moving. This information is converted into electrical signals that produce a quantitative measurement of blood flow.
LDI is useful when comparing normal blood flow to the abnormal blood flow around any wound, especially for burns.
For my project, I will be utilizing a scanner that is a more similar to CLSM. The Artec Spider produces its own light source and uses depth measurements to reconstruct an object. Rather than looking at blood flow and other internal features, I will be looking at outer components such as depth and perimeter.
Hey Asfia, it's really cool that you get hands-on experience with this kind of equipment! How does the laser scanner operate? Does it raster across the object to reconstruct it on the computer?
ReplyDeleteThe Artec Spyder laser scanner is a handheld device that uses blue-light technology to capture an object. Basically, I manually move the device around and take multiple scans until I can get the wound just right.
DeleteOne of my next tasks is to time how long it takes to scan a wound from start to finish. I can go over the details of the process more then!
Hi Asfia! Are laser scanners very commonly used by most hospitals today? I have never seen one before, but your research suggests that they are extremely useful and accurate in assessing wounds and providing treatment options.
ReplyDeleteI've read up on several studies that suggest that laser scanning is almost twice as accurate as a doctor's educated guess. However, people are often scared of new technology. Hopefully, there will be a cultural shift that will lead to better and more accurate diagnoses with laser scanning!
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