Handheld imaging tool could monitor chronic conditions

Developed by engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the new device will let GPs image sites they commonly examine, such as bacterial colonies in the middle ear in 3D, or monitor the thickness and health of patients’ retinas.

According to a statement, the device relies on optical coherence tomography (OCT), a visualisation technology that is similar to ultrasound imaging, but uses light instead of sound to produce images.

The team will present its findings at the Optical Society’s (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2012, taking place on 14–18 October in Rochester, New York.

To monitor chronic conditions, primary-care physicians currently rely on instruments that are essentially magnifying glasses, said UIUC physician and biomedical engineer Stephen Boppart, who will present the team’s findings at FiO.

The new handheld imaging device would give doctors a way to quantitatively monitor these conditions, and possibly make more efficient and accurate referrals to specialists.