Summary:
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Birth hypoxia is a significant clinical problem that can lead to severe medical conditions, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), jeopardizing newborns to long-term neurological disorders. Currently, there is not yet an on-side clinical device that can provide real-time monitoring of the fetal brain status during labor and delivery.
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This project aims to design and implement a novel, safe, point-of-care imaging system around clinical transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) transducers for potential intrapartum imaging of the fetal brain status.
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A prototype of an integrated Photoacoustic and TVUS imaging system was developed and implemented in ex-vivo and in-vivo studies. It showed promising results toward non-invasively monitoring the fetal brain status during labor and delivery.
References:
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Yan, Yan, et al. "Endocavity ultrasound and photoacoustic system for fetal and maternal imaging: design, implementation, and ex-vivo validation." Journal of Medical Imaging 8.6 (2021): 066001.
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Yan, Yan, et al. "Endocavity ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging system to evaluate fetal brain perfusion and oxygenation: Preliminary ex vivo studies." 2017 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS). IEEE, 2017.
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Mehrmohammadi, Mohammad, et al. "Ultrasound and photoacoustic systems and methods for fetal brain assessment during delivery." U.S. Patent No. 10,952,700. 23 Mar. 2021.