Flextensional transducers could be key enabler of complex ultrasonic surgery

Going under the knife could one day become a thing of the past, thanks to the development of robotic surgical tools that could ultimately carry out even complex procedures using ultrasound.

Ultrasonic devices are already used to perform some forms of surgery, but design restrictions mean they are limited to procedures where access to the operating site is through a simple, direct route.

However, accessing many points in the human body requires the surgical device to take a complicated path, limiting the use of minimally-invasive ultrasonic tools.

Now a team of UK researchers, funded by EPSRC, are developing a new generation of miniaturised ultrasonic devices that, when integrated with flexible, tentacle-like surgical robots, will be capable of performing procedures deep inside the human body.

The ultrasonic tools could allow minimally-invasive surgery to be carried out with higher precision and much lower force, while protecting delicate structures, according to project leader Prof. Margaret Lucas at Glasgow University.