Move Over, X-Ray:
Ultrasound for Bone Diagnostics and Acceleration of Fracture Healing
Dr. Yi-Xian Qin and his team of researchers have developed a diagnostic and therapeutic system for bone that is delivering powerful results with a very small footprint.
Qin's Scanning Confocal Acoustic Navigation (SCAN) is unique in its ability to measure both bone quantity (density) and bone quality (which would affect strength). It delivers more accurate results at lower cost than conventional methods and does not expose the patient to x-ray radiation.
In addition to its novel diagnostic capabilities, SCAN technology is being combined successfully with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound to accelerate bone fracture healing. The remarkable, dual-purpose technology is small, lightweight, easy-to-use, and portable, making it a revolutionary development for osteoporosis care in remote, rural, and developing areas.
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Ultrasound images from a normal heel on the left and a heel from an osteoporosis patient on the right. Qin's SCAN system provides a more complete assessment of a patient's bone health than standard osteoporosis diagnostic methods, providing valuable detail about bone architecture as well as bone density. |
Scanning Confocal Acoustic Navigation technology has tremendous potential to provide accessible osteoporosis monitoring and treatment worldwide. In Asia, for example, a large aging population has limited access to bone mineral density testing via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the current standard for diagnosis. The affordable, portable SCAN system can be readily deployed even in small clinics to offer diagnosis of low bone density, abnormal bone architecture, and even bone fracture treatment to elderly patients affected by osteoporosis.
Even in environments where traditional, X-ray based tools are accessible, the Scanning Acoustic Diagnostic System allows physicians to affordably monitor osteoporosis patients taking medications on a regular basis without exposing them to the radiation of X-rays. In addition to being safely repeatable, the SCAN system offers measures of bone density and quality that go beyond the diagnostic capabilities of devices currently on the market.
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Dr. Qin's SCAN technology is
compact and highly portable. |
Dr. Qin's technology is well-proven; he has successfully developed a clinical prototype for prediction of early bone loss in osteoporosis patients and a bed-rest study was conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Several patents have been filed, and the SCAN method patent was recently issued. |
