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Increased blood flow in inflamed synovial membranes of joints can reveal arthritis at various stages. While this can be detected with MRI imaging, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (Sulzbach, Germany) have developed an effective and less expensive method: “The scanner operates using an optoacoustic imaging technique, in which the fingers are subjected to extremely short laser light pulses of variable wavelength. As the tissue absorbs these brief light pulses a minimal amount of warming occurs, which in turn causes the tissue to expand a tiny bit. This expansion then causes slight pressure pulses which the scanner registers using an acoustic transducer in the same way that ultrasound imaging procedures do. From the pattern of the pressure pulses the device can pinpoint exactly where inflammation is forming. To refine the diagnosis, the optoacoustic procedure is further enhanced by the use of a hyperspectral imaging system. This method is based on scanning the finger with a strong white light, with the result that light of certain wavelengths is absorbed by the inflamed tissue. By analyzing which wavelengths are found in the light that is not absorbed by the tissue, scientists can determine whether or not the tissue is affected.” MORE

 Image Credit: Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering and ScienceDaily.com