Advance might lead to more precise and safer endoscopic surgeries
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Durham, N.C. -- Three-dimensional ultrasound probes built by researchers at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering have imaged the beating hearts of dogs. The engineers said their demonstration showed that the probes could give surgeons a better view during human endoscopic surgeries in which operations are performed through tiny “keyhole” incisions.
If the probes prove beneficial in human testing, the advance might lead to more precise and safer endoscopic surgeries, said the Duke engineers. The researchers reported their advance in the latest issue of the journal Ultrasonic Imaging, which was issued in late March 2006, but dated July 2005. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
