Medical sensors

Our ultrasonic sensors are mainly used for imaging tissue, but also for measuring its stiffness. We use optical sensors for applications such as spectroscopy. Among other things, we have developed a sensor-based method for detecting cancer. It involves combining two measurement methods that individually have proved to have a certain accuracy in detecting cancer in prostate tissue. The first method is called tactile resonance stiffness measurement and involves measuring the stiffness of the tissue with a vibrating rod. The stiffness or hardness of the tissue is related to the presence of cancer. The other method is called tissue characterization with Raman spectroscopy. It implicates illuminating the tissue with a low power laser and measuring the Raman scattered portion of the retroreflected light. The Raman Scattered Light contains detailed information about the biochemistry of the tissue. By combining the methods, we can quickly scan the prostate gland in connection with surgery and give the surgeon a decision basis for the amount tissue that needs to be removed. 

 
Reduces patient suffering  
The method ensures that all cancer tissue is removed, whilst a minimal amount of healthy tissue and nerve tissue that controls sexual function is removed. This reduces patient suffering and saves healthcare resources. The combination, a so-called measuring tip, has been shown to give more reliable results for describing prostate tissue than the individual methods, and are thereby more accurate for distinguishing cancer from normal tissue. Today, it is available as a prototype. 

Contact:  
Olof Lindahl – Olof.Lindahl@regionvasterbotten.se