Heart injected with liquid metal

Cornell University Library ^ | (Submitted on 26 Nov 2013) | Qian Wang, Yang Yu, Keqin Pan, Jing Liu

[Utilizer]

Visualizing the anatomical vessel networks plays a vital role in physiological or pathological investigations. However, identifying the fine structures of the smallest capillary vessels via conventional imaging ways remains a big challenge.

Here, the room temperature liquid metal angiography was proposed for the first time to produce mega contrast X-ray images for multi-scale vasculature mapping. Gallium was used as the room temperature liquid metal contrast agent and perfused into the vessels of in vitro pig hearts and kidneys.

We scanned the samples under X-ray and compared the angiograms with those obtained via conventional contrast agent--the iohexol. As quantitatively proved by the gray scale histograms, the contrast of the vessels to the surrounding tissues in the liquid metal angiograms is orders higher than that of the iohexol enhanced images. And the resolution of the angiograms has reached 100{\mu}m, which means the capillaries can be clearly distinguished in the liquid metal enhanced images.

With tomography from the micro-CT, we also managed to reconstruct the 3-dementional structures of the kidney vessels. Tremendous clarity and efficiency of the method over existing approaches were experimentally demonstrated.

It was disclosed that the usually invisible capillary networks now become distinctively clear in the gallium angiograms. This mechanism can be generalized and extended to a wide spectrum of 3-dimensional computational tomographic areas. It provides a soft tool for quickly reconstructing high resolution spatial channel networks for scientific researches or engineering applications where complicated and time consuming surgical procedures are no longer necessary.

[Utilizer]

Interesting approach to more accurate detection of illnesses if this works as well as initial reports reportedly indicate.

"The Physics arXiv Blog" has a bit more on it, with images, if you do not mind viewing a blogsite -albeit one with a scientific bent. I am not familiar with the site but the links referenced so far seem to pan out...

Here: the-physics-arxiv-blog

[BenLurkin]

Interesting!

[Rio]

Can you still eat the pork chops?

[Utilizer]

Not unless you are related to Wolverine, I would guess.

Seriously, the article notes that the metal is easily extracted after the proceedure.

[mabarker1]

What!?

[timlilje]

Being able to visualize capillaries does nothing for a person with coronary artery disease. You can’t treat the decreased capillary flow with anything except medications, that’s what we do now. We need more research into Angiogenesis: Creation of new blood vessels in Cardiac Perfusion!!

[James C. Bennett]

This was from a Chinese university IIRC.

[Utilizer]

Thanks for the info. Considering the fact that I was not diagnosed with cancer until they actually performed an intrusive examination to find out what was wrong since MRIs and CAT scans revealed nothing, I am hopeful that this new way of examining things will shed more light on various illnesses.

I barely survived the critical procedure as it was, and I can not help but think if they had caught it at a much earlier stage I would not have been in so much danger because only a chance decision made a borderline-emergency operation the life-saving choice necessary.

[fella]

The sad part is that this study at Cornell has been carried out by Qian Wang, Yang Yu, Keqin Pan and Jing Liu. Our centralized public school system does not produce students who can carry out such work.

[Utilizer]

Our centralized public school system does not produce students who can carry out such work.

You noticed that too, eh? *sigh* I actually considered quite carefully whether or not I should accept anything the ChiComs claim, but their findings have not been refuted to date or prefaced by any American studies, sad to say.

The elite liberal doo-gooder snobs of leaders of this country are dooming us by their socialistic bufoonery.

[nvscanman]

This was done IN VITRO....from the latin for “in glass”,
meaning the tissue was not alive. FAR cry from doing
such a thing IN VIVO....as in “in life”. Not a diagnostic
tool that is likely to become useful.....gallium is used as
contrast in MRI exams. In any significant amounts it causes significant renal damage including NSF, Nephrogenic
Systemic Fibrosis. Enough gallium to allow hi resolution
CT Scans of vascular structures would result in kidney failure and quite possibly death.

And since I have been operating CT and MR machines for decades I know whereof I speak.

[Utilizer]

Thanks for the additional info, mate. Appreciate it.