Special glasses will help oncosurgeons remove all pathological cells without affecting healthy
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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When carrying out operations to remove malignant tumors, each surgeon faces a rather difficult task: to separate pathological cells from healthy ones. In order to increase the effectiveness of such situations and facilitate the work of specialists, a research group from Washington has developed a special device.
A group of scientists created special glasses, through which surgeons can see cancer cells that will be highlighted in blue. During the trial tests, scientists have established that with the help of such glasses one can easily see tumors with a diameter of 1 mm. For the device to isolate pathological cells in blue, the developers suggested using a special dye approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. This dye must be injected into the affected area before surgery.
A small device operates on batteries, is equipped with wireless communication and leaves the surgeon's arms free. When developing glasses for the base, a night vision device was taken, while it can work both in infrared light and in normal lighting. The received visual data is transferred to a special eyepiece, which can be adjusted. Thanks to the wireless connection, the device transmits the picture in real time to the computer and as a result, the monitor displays all the actions of the surgeon. This will allow other specialists to observe what is happening in the operating room and, if necessary, to provide advice.
The new development uses an advanced eyepiece, which is used for intraoperative imaging. Such systems are quite expensive, complex and time consuming, besides, the radiation from the device affects both the patient and the surgeon. Special blue dyes, which are used to determine pathological cells, can also cause side reactions.
Special glasses for oncologists were developed by an academic group headed by Samuel Akilfu (a member of the University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a doctor of bioengineering and radiology). In early February, the first operation was performed using a new device, which was conducted by Julia Margenthaler, an associate professor of the university and a thoracic surgeon.
Currently, surgeons during surgery to remove tumors, almost always affect neighboring healthy cells. After the operation, the analysis of the removed healthy cells is performed, and if they have an initial stage of the lesion, the patient needs a repeated surgery to remove the tissues, which are also analyzed in the laboratory. For tumors in the mammary gland, a second operation is required in 25% of cases. The new device will allow surgeons to see all the affected cells, which will avoid re-operation, since the surgeon will be able to remove all unhealthy cells during the first operation.
Currently, there are several test samples that have already been used in some operations.
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