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Ultrasound is nog a sinecure: First of all is the construction of an image of good quality difficult. Secondly is the interpretation of the image subjective. The person who performs the examinations gives his opinion. Ultrasound is a science, but is also an art.
Recently, a new technique has been introduced in the medical world by H. Van Schie (UTC Imaging): "Ultasonographic Tissue Characterisation" or "determine the kind of tissue by sound waves ".
EQUISOUND POSSESSES THE FIRST UTC DEVICE IN BELGIUM .
This happens by two methods:
1/Visualizing the tissue in a standardized way by a "Tracker". This delivers a threedimensional image of the structure that has been scanned.
2/A difficult algorithm calculates the capacity of the volume that has been scanned.
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UTC:
Apple Powerbook and Tracker |
Positioning of the tracker on the tendons of a horse. |
Positioning of the tracker on the knee of an athlete. |
Characterisation of the differend kinds of tissue. |
This results in a characterisation of the tissue in more than 8 different kinds of tissue (see diagram above). Of this, 4 "ultrasound-types" are imaged by an image that is encoded by 4 different colours:
- Green: normal bundles of tendons
- Blue: bundles that are to short or are undulating
- Red: fibrous tissue: connective tissue, scar tissue
- Black: fluid and cells: oedema, blood
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4 colours: 4 types of tissue |
normal tendons :
completely green |
CASE 1: injury of the superficial tendon:
hard to identify |
CASE 1: injury of the superficial tendon:
obvious loss of integrity: blue and red |
WHY UTC:
- BECAUSE UTC STANDARDIZES THE ULTRASONOGRAPHIC IMAGE and VISUALIZES THAT IMAGE IN 3D.
- BECAUSE THE GREYSCALES OF CLASSIC ULTRASOUND ARE NOT ABLE TO DISTINGUISH DIFFERENT TYPES OF TISSUE.
- BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF THE ULTRASONOGRAPHICAL IMAGES THAT WE SEE ON THE BLACK AND WHITE IMAGE THAT ARE STRUCTURE RELATED.
- OMDAT MAAR EEN KLEIN AANTAL VAN DE ECHO'S DIE WE ZIEN OP HET ZWARTWIT BEELD STRUCTUUR-GERELATEERD ZIJN.
VALUE OF UTC: UTC IS...
- ABLE TO DISTINGUISH 4 TYPES OF TISSUE
- ABLE TO DISTINGUISH AN INNOCENT STRAINING FROM A DEGENERATIVE PROCESS.
- ABLE TO BUILD A THREEDIMENSIONAL IMAGE
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| READ ON THIS LINK LITERATURE ABOUT UTC EXAMINATION |
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superficial tendon: threedimensional image |
normal: 11% type II
degeneration: 17% type III
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straining: 19% type IV
degeneration: 17% type II |
rupture: 24% type II
13% type III
9% type IV
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Images partially delivered by H. Van Schie |
EquiSound |St-Jansstraat 146a, B - 9982 Sint-Laureins | Tel: +32/487 37 37 30
The English part of the EquiSound website is still under construction. We try to finish it as soon as possible. For scientific subjects, you can open "wetenschap" on the dutch site as this is most of all written in English.
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