An ultrasonic device, producing a three-dimensional image for more efficient, accurate diagnosis of unsuspected breast cancer is being developed by a Weizmann Institute biomedical engineer, Dr. Bruce Sollish, of the Weizmann Institute’s Electronics Department, headed by Prof. Ephraim H. Frei.
A prototype instrument is expected to be ready within a year and will be clinically evaluated at the Guttman Institute in New York City, one of the world’s largest screening clinics, which examines some 200 women daily. Dr. Philip Strax, medical director of the Guttman Institute, will supervise a long-term evaluation of the equipment.
In the ultrasonic technique, which follows the principles of sonar, pulses of sound are sent deep into body tissue to be reflected from various biological structures with differing intensities. Because ultrasonics measure differences in the elastic properties of tissue it may detect growths characterized by a different elasticity whose presence escapes detection by conventional X-ray and thermographic techniques. Conventional ultrasonic diagnostic devices have already entered into clinical use in ophthalmology, cardiology and obstetrics.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
