ADVANCED TOPICS IN

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

By: Dr. Sohail Khalid

Electromagnetic Wave Based Biomedical Applications

Presentation Intent
Introduction
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Electromagnetic waves based biomedical applications
RF sensors for biomedical applications
General discussion on current and future research

Brain storming on new ideas

Question answers

INTRODUCTION
Hybrid research environment
Biology and Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Scope of biomedical engineering

EM Wave propagation

ELECTROMAGNETIC SEPECTRUM

Electromagnetic Waves Based Biomedical Applications

X-rays
Computer Tomography (CT) Scan
Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI)
Positron emission Tomography (PET) Scan
Ultrasound Imaging

Doppler ultrasonography
Sonar communication

X-rays
X-rays are generated from firing high speed electrons from cathode onto anode in a tube.
Patient is placed between X-ray tube and silver halide film
X-rays passed through the body are absorbed in direct proportion to tissue density

X-rays penetrating the body strike the silver halide film and turn it dark
The more x-rays that penetrate, the darker the area inscribed on the film
Bones & metal absorb or reflect X-rays in less amount so film is lighter or more white

Soft tissues allow more X-rays to penetrate so film is darker

Visualizing tissues of similar density can be enhanced using contrast agents
Contrast agents: dense fluids containing elements of high atomic number (barium, iodine)

Contrast agents absorbs more photons than the surrounding tissue so appears lighter
These contrast agents can be injected, swallowed, or given by enema
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X-rays

electron beam generator

tungsten target metal

resultant X-ray beam

silver halide film

X-rays

X-ray View of a Gunshot

Wound
(Bullet has
split into fragments)

X-rays
Classic X-ray view of Lung Infiltrates caused by Pneumonia.
Notice the increased whiteness close to the sternum

X-rays
X-ray view of broken ribs in an infant .
caused by child abuse. Specifically, by holding the baby by the chest and shaking him
violently.

Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

The scanner device incorporates a moving table & a revolving X-ray tube

The table moves the patient back and forth through the revolving X-ray emissions

The X-ray emitter moves (revolves) in a 360 degree arc around the patient

Instead of film, the CT scanner collects emitted X-rays via a collector

This collector is called a SCINTILLATOR

Scintillator transforms X-rays into a proportionally strong electric current

The electric current is then converted into a number of images (slices)
Contrast dyes may be used for image enhancement

Tool of choice for most stroke cases

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Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

Normal CT scan (abdominal slice)

Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

CT scan of ischemic stroke (gold arrow)

Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

CT scan of Subdural Hematoma (Green Arrow)

Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

CT scan color enhancement

Purple area
denotes
destruction of
normal brain
tissue which is
colored green

Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

3-dimensional modeling using CT scan

Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI)

Magnetic nuclei are abundant in the human body (H,C,Na,P,K) and spin randomly

Since most of the body is H2O, the Hydrogen nucleus is especially prevalent

Patient is placed in a static magnetic field

Magnetized protons (spinning H nuclei) in the patient align in this field like compass
needles
Radio frequency (RF) pulses then bombard the magnetized nuclei causing them to
flip around
The nuclei absorb the RF energy and enter an excited state
When the magnet is turned off, excited nuclei return to normal state & give off RF
energy
The energy given off reflect the number of protons in a slice of tissue
Different tissues absorb & give off different amounts of RF energy (different
resonances)
The RF energy given off is picked up by the receiver coil & transformed into images
MRI offers the greatest contrast in tissue imaging technology (knee, ankle
diagnosis)
cost: about $1450 - $2000
time: 30 minutes - 2 hours, depending on the type of study being done

Closed (traditional) MRI scanner

Open MRI

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Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI)

Normal ACL
(note darker region indicating normality)

Grade 3 ACL tear

(note lighter region where the darker region used
to be. This indicates tissue disruption and
associated fluid buildup)

Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI)

MRI view of the

same Ischemic
Stroke seen in
slide 15

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan

Device measures metabolism via the decay of
radioactive tracers in tissues with higher than normal
metabolic activity (such as cancer)
Patient is injected with FluorDeoxyGlucose/Oxygen 15.
Glucose bound to Fluorine 18 (radioactive)
Diseased organs & tissues process FDG at a higher
rate than normal tissues making FDG concentration
higher in diseased tissue
Positrons are emitted by FDG and collide with
electrons, emitting radiation
Radiation picked up by camera
Computer reconstructs the radioactivity into 3
dimensional images of organ or area with higher than
normal FDP uptake
Takes about 2 hours
Results available to physician within 48 hours

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Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan

PET scan showing Alzheimerss Disease

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Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan

PET Scan showing Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (Green Arrows) before &
after 6 months of chemotherapy

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Ultrasound Imagining
Sound waves above 20 KHz are usually called as ultrasound waves.
Sound waves propagate mechanical energy causing periodic vibration of particles in a continuous,
elastic medium.
Sound waves cannot propagate in a vacuum since there are no particles of matter in the vacuum.
The velocity of the sound in
Air: 331 m/sec; Water: 1430 m/sec
Soft tissue: 1540 m/sec; Fat: 1450 m/sec
Ultrasound medical imaging: 2MHz to 10 MHz
2 MHz to 5 MHz frequencies are more common.
5 MHz ultrasound beam has a wavelength of 0.308 mm in soft tissue with a velocity of 1540
m/sec.

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Ultrasound Imagining

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Doppler Ultrasonography
Doppler ultrasonography is a non-invasive diagnostic procedure that changes sound waves into
an image that can be viewed on a monitor.
Doppler ultrasonography can detect the direction, velocity,
and turbulence of blood flow.
It is frequently used to detect problems with heart values or
to measure blood flow through the arteries.
Specifically, it is useful in the work up of stroke patients,
in assessing blood flow in the abdomen or legs, and in
viewing the heart to monitor carotid artery diseases.

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Sonar Communication
Communication using sound waves.

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RF sensors for biomedical

Non-invasive disease diagnose/healing

Microwave devices for disease diagnose

Electromagnetic therapy

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General discussion on current and future research

Electromagnetic and Oncology: The Future
Scientists are discovering breakthrough in treating cancerous tumours by using low-intensity
electromagnetic fields.
Patients taking part in the clinical trials were given a spoon-like antenna told hold in their mouths which
then delivered the magnetic fields to their bodies.
A small number who were treated three times a week showed significant improvements.
Some of the tumours shrank and others stopped growing, while healthy cells in the surrounding tissue
were unaffected.
A number of patients with liver cancer took part in the trials, some of which saw a significant
improvement.
In certain cases it affected the cancers ability to grow and in some cases the tumours began to shrink
while others stopped growing.
The surrounding cancer cells were also unaffected by the treatment, which can be tolerated for long
periods
This is just the beginning a long way to go.

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General discussion on current and future research

Terahertz Systems for Medical Imaging
A break through in exploiting electromagnetic waves has potentially opened the way for more advanced
medical diagnosis.
T-rays are already in use in airport security scanners, prototype medical scanning devices and in
spectroscopy systems for materials analysis.
They can also sense molecules such as those present in cancerous tumors and living DNA, since every
molecule has its unique signature in the THz range, the journal Nature Photonics reports.
Or detect explosives or drugs, for gas pollution monitoring or non-destructive testing of semiconductor
integrated circuit chips, according to Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore,
and Imperial College London.
Current T-ray imaging devices are very expensive and operate at only a low output power, since creating
the waves consumes large amounts of energy and needs to take place at very low temperatures.
Materials science researchers have made T-rays into a much stronger directional beam than was
previously thought possible, at room-temperature conditions.
Research co-author Stefan Maier, a visiting scientist at ASTAR and professor of physics at Imperial
College, said: T-rays promise to revolutionize medical scanning to make it faster and more convenient,
potentially relieving patients from the inconvenience of complicated diagnostic procedures and the
stress of waiting for accurate results.
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General discussion on current and future research

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General discussion on current and future research

Facilitating Diagnoses of Heart Disease and Ear Infections
Tiny devices are being micro machined from silicon that may make diagnosing and treating coronary
artery diseases easier.
The devices can be inserted into one-millimeter-diameter catheters to image the arteries of the heart
in three dimensions at high resolution using high-frequency ultrasound waves.
The ability to integrate electronics on the same silicon chip is key for successful implementation of
cost-effective, flexible catheter- based imaging arrays to reduce the number of cables and electronic
interference noise.
The system boasts a more compact design and three-dimension- al imaging capability for guiding
cardiologists during interventions, such as those for completely blocked arteries. The technology also
offers higher resolution than current intravascular ultrasound systems, which help diagnose vulnerable
plaque, a leading cause of heart attacks.

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General discussion on current and future research

Improving Sense of Touch

While using a cane can improve balance, wearing a glove with a vibrating fingertip might improve sense
of touch.
Georgia Tech researchers are designing such a device which is capable of improving common sensory
and motor skill tasks, including two-point discrimination, single-point touch, texture discrimination and
grasp tests.
The device uses an actuator made of a piezoelectric material to generate high-frequency vibration. The
actuator is attached to the side of the fingertip so that the palm-side of the finger remains free and the
individual wearing the glove can continue to manipulate objects.
This device may one day be used to assist individuals whose jobs require high-precision manual
dexterity or those with medical conditions that reduce their sense of touch, said Jun Ueda, an
assistant professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical
Engineering at Georgia Tech.

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Your Turn

Brain storming on new ideas

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