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Ultrasound, 4D and live moving images
CONSIDERED TO be the most recent in imaging and touted as the `future scan' in ultrasound, 4D real-time technology is here in the city.
For a generation that is comfortable with technology, 4D is the latest diagnostic tool in ultrasound.
Until late last year if one needed obstetrics scan in the city, one would, as directed by the doctor, lie down and stare at the black and white screen, which would throw up pictures of the insides. The doctor would gently go on explaining what's on the screen, with the layman nodding in quiet apprehension. With 3D imaging, the scans were comprehensive only to the expert doc, but with real time 4D technology, the scanned inside is as good as a `photograph that speaks a thousand words.'
Photographing the body insides remains a difficult concept for the layman to comprehend, but with picture clarity and voluminous data of an internal organ, which 4D technology provides, " one can virtually see the organ as if it is out of the body and placed on the table." In 3D imaging, data is collected from three planes of an object, and in 4D real-time, a fourth dimension is added to this data, which is movement. Thus we have an all round view of the object, inclusive of movement of the object that is seen on the screen. This makes it as good as a moving picture. In simplistic terms, 4D real-time imaging is similar to `live transmission'... . Information as it happens... ..
"Technology wise it is a very great advancement. Earlier, a one-side view of the region of interest, inside the body could be seen, but with 4D, one can get a clear picture of the organ and any related movement. For the doctor, the percentage of accuracy in diagnosis is greatly enhanced," says a spokesperson of Wipro GE Medical Systems, who has supplied the only two apparatuses in the city.
Dr. Rijo Mathew of Amma Scan, who uses the technology at his diagnostic centre, says,
"The joy of parents when they see their unborn baby's face is immense, and the volume of data which a doctor can collect helps greatly in detecting any foetal anomaly that may be there. As a diagnostic tool it is invaluable." The other machine in the city is at Dr. Damodaran Nambiar's clinic.
Developed only late last year, this latest technology is very new to the country and more so to the State. With only five machines in Kerala , Kochi has two such 4D Realtime ultrasound units. Costing over Rs. 50 lakhs, a scan taken under this machine costs the patient Rs. 1,000 and gives the doctor a volume of clinical information.
The technology's biggest application is in obstetrics imaging. It takes three-dimensional ultrasound images and adds the element of time to the process. The result is `Live Action' images of the unborn child or of any internal anatomy. Ultrasound was not widely accepted until the mid-1970s, when additional advances in technology would contribute to better image quality.
The latest advances in ultrasound are 3D and 4D imaging. To create 3D images, an ultrasound system determines the volume of a subject - for example, a baby. The system then reconstructs the image in three dimensions. As for 4D Ultrasound, the system gathers 3D volumes and instantly reconstructs them into moving images; it is redefining ultrasound with real-time 4D imaging.
In contrast to other 3D imaging diagnostic processes, 4D allows the doctor to visualise internal anatomy moving in real-time. For example: Movement patterns of foetuses allows conclusions to be drawn about their development; increase of accuracy in ultrasound guided biopsies, thanks to the visualisation of needle movements in real time in all 3 planes. So physicians and sonographers can detect or rule out any number of issues, from vascular anomalies and genetic syndromes. Ultrasound system can be used for breast imaging, interventional urology and general imaging.
With Kochi being promoted as the hub of medical tourism in the State, 4D real-time technology will go a long way towards contributing to its success.
PRIYADARSSHINI SHARMA
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