Browse Technologies

• 
• 
• 
• 

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. While screening programs have had a tremendous impact on reducing mortality, the majority of cases occur in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Typically, screening for gastric and esophageal cancer is performed using a flexible endoscope; however, endoscopy resources for these settings are traditionally limited. With the development of an inexpensive, disposable system by Vanderbilt researchers, gastroscopy and colonoscopy can be facilitated in areas hampered by a lack of access to the appropriate means.

Researchers at Vanderbilt have developed a system to estimate prognostic metrics such as the length of a hospital stay, recovery status at discharge, and overall health at discharge, using only baseline imaging and clinical information gathered early in the hospital admission process. This system can assist with medical group operations and planning, it can help to educate families and patients regarding prognosis, and can be used to automatically stage patients for clinical trials.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a new method for using contrast enhanced MRI to non-invasively map and quantify cell size on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Using this approach, it is possible to monitor and detect diseases or treatments that alter the distribution of cell sizes such as cancer, muscular dystrophy, hepatocellular hypertrophy, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a new system to detect the position, orientation, and pressure exerted on surrounding tissues of a wireless capsule endoscopy device.  Magnetic coupling is one of the few physical phenomena capable of transmitting actuation forces across a physical barrier.  Magnetic manipulation has the potential to make surgery less invasive, by allowing untethered miniature devices to enter the body through natural orifices or tiny incisions, and then maneuver with minimal disruption to healthy tissue.  In order to accomplish this goal, the pose (position and orientation) of the medical device must be available in real time.