Topic of the Month August 2021: A look into the cardiovascular system: Possibilities of medical imaging

A high degree of precision is required for operations involving the cardiovascular system. This is based on medical imaging. In practice, however, these still face a number of challenges that can impair image quality. The further development of imaging techniques represents a forward-looking field of research in order to be able to improve surgical treatment in the future. Read more about this in the Topic of the Month.

Medical imaging: obtaining an accurate view of blood vessels for surgery

Surgical intervention is often inevitable when blood vessels become narrowed, blocked, or damaged. Surgeons use stents and medical balloons to open and widen the arteries, suck out the obstructing clots and use a catheter to examine the vessels. Intraoperative cardiovascular imaging is an essential tool to guide the catheters and instruments during the minimally invasive procedures.

Read the article about intraoperative, cardiovascular imaging here https://www.medica-tradefair.com/en/News/Topic_of_the_Month/Topics_of_the_Month_2021/Intraoperative_imaging/Medical_imaging_obtaining_an_accurate_view_of_blood_vessels_for_surgery

Bringing stents precisely to their destination with cardiac catheter robots

Robots in the operating theatre are no longer a rarity in certain medical fields - they support and relieve doctors and sometimes they can make operations more efficient and easier with artificial intelligence (AI). However, they are rarely found in the operating theatre during cardiological interventions.

Read the interview with Prof. Constantin von zur Mühlen here https://www.medica-tradefair.com/en/News/Topic_of_the_Month/Topics_of_the_Month_2021/Bringing_stents_precisely_to_their_destination_with_cardiac_catheter_robots

The Power of Multi-Color Real-Time Technology: SWIR Imaging Helps Visualize Blood Vessels

Image-guided surgery are based on medical imaging. However, past imaging technologies performed while the patient is awake cannot deliver a complete view that facilitates a visual differentiation of structures such as blood vessels and nerve tracts, for example. Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München in Germany and the University of California, Los Angeles have teamed up in a study to develop a non-invasive medical imaging modality that enables multiplexing, deep tissue penetration, and real-time resolution.

Read the interview with Dr. Oliver Bruns here https://www.medica-tradefair.com/en/News/Topic_of_the_Month/Topics_of_the_Month_2021/The_Power_of_Multi-Color_Real-Time_Technology_SWIR_Imaging_Helps_Visualize_Blood_Vessels

 

Optical coherence tomography is a light-based imaging method: a catheter emits infrared light that shows the inside of a blood vessel, as is shown in the picture. This is a possible method to see if the vessel is blocked or injured.

 

The cardiac catheter robot can be operated from outside, so the examiner no longer has to stand at the operating table.

 

SWIR-imaging makes it possible to see blood vessels and nerve tracts in real-time