Live 3D Ultrasound in Space !

NASA using Live 3D ultrasound imaging to learn how space travel affects the hearts of Space Shuttle astronauts

Astronauts commonly are thought to lose heart mass during prolonged flight. Two-dimensional echocardiography measurements reveal a 5 percent decrease, which usually returns within three days of being back on Earth. Researchers are interested in learning the cause of these changes. Possible explanations include heart atrophy caused by weightlessness, dehydration from space travel or error caused by the geometric assumptions used in two-dimensional echo.

The new technology being used captures a full-volume image of the beating heart in less than a minute and allows physicians to examine the heart as if they were holding it in their hands. It also allows the researchers to make accurate measurements of heart mass, ejection fraction, blood flow, strain rate and cardiac wall motion pre- and post-flight.

- We have a very short window of time in which to do an echo exam on the astronauts. Live 3D Echo allows us to quickly grab all the image data we need to do a full examination of the heart anatomy and function and send the astronauts on their way. Following the image acquisition, we use off-line analysis software to do several measurements that help us evaluate changes after space travel, said David S. Martin of Wyle Laboratories, Inc., ultrasound lead for the NASA Cardiovascular Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The use of this heart imaging and measurement technology will be part of ongoing research at the NASA Cardiovascular Laboratory. It will also complement the imaging done by a modified Philips HDI 5000 ultrasound system that was installed in the International Space Station’s Human Research Facility in 2001.
- These new ultrasound technologies help us efficiently conduct sophisticated cardiac research of astronauts and the effects of microgravity, said Martin.
Source: www.newscenter.philips.com

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Morgan MEDesign - Custom designers of innovative, C-Arm compatible tables.
Parks Medical Electronics, Inc. (USA) - Manufacture non-imaging doppler ultrasound instruments, from pocket dopplers to complete vascular laboratories.
Red River Paper (USA) - Red River Paper provides color and black and black & white imaging papers for ultrasonography. Offer a wide variety of paper choices and cost saving prices.
SciMed Ltd (UK) - Manufacturer of transcranial Doppler and peripheral vascular Doppler equipment.
Sheathing Technologies, Inc. (USA) - Distributor of Sheathing Probe Covers and Accessories; Products for the Ultrasound Industry.
Sonogel (Germany) - ultrasonic gels and delay lines.
Sonomed (PL) - Manufacturer of ultrasound medical diagnostic equipment (doppler devices).
Sonotech (Germany) - Providing research and development services for medical electronics and software including the signal processing for spectral and color flow Doppler. Neu-Ulm, Germany.
Sonotech, Inc. (USA) - Ultrasonic couplants, transmission gels for medical and NDT
Spencer Technologies (USA) - Develops and sells products dedicated to noninvasive ultrasound monitoring of the brain such as digital transcranial doppler (TCD) and the Marc 600 probe fixation headframe.
Steinhart Medizinsysteme (Germany) - Hipax system - enables users to connect non DICOM compatible ultrasound apparatus to the DICOM world.
TriMed, Inc. - Sales of Diagnostic Ultrasound equipment: Medison, video printers, Sony, Mitsubishi, EKG, Fukuda, fetal dopplers, Huntleigh.
Ultrasound Echoscan Systems - Information about ophthalmic equipments for ultrasound by Nidek.
Ultrasound Technologies Ltd (UK) - Manufactures complete range of doppler medical devices.
US Ultrasound, Inc. - Specializing in manufacturing sensors, medical, industrial, and ultrasonic cleaner transducers.

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