For better imaging

ultrasound imaging has proved to be immensely useful in the diagnosis of illnesses. It is supposed to be safe and relatively inexpensive and gives the physician a clear picture of organs that x -rays cannot image, such as the liver and the pancreas gland. However, it cannot be used in cases where physical contact between the patient's body and the imaging device is not possible. This can be the case when a patient has serious burns. Even magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) is too slow and cumbersome in these cases. What is required is a quick and painless way of determining the extent of burns under the skin and whether the patient needs surgery. A group of scientists has recently reported the development of a technique that will make it possible to obtain an ultrasound image without contact with the body.

The reason conventional ultrasound devices need physical contact is because the ultrasound wave generated in the machine is sent through the air into the body, causing a large proportion of the waves to be reflected back into the device. This happens because the quantity of the air's