Since the advent of computer technology, medical equipment technology has been making leaps every day. Technologies that we once thought would come many years in the future are developed and implemented now. Here are 3 recent and important developments in the field of medical technology.

Ultrasound imaging on your phone

Ultrasound machines are still relatively cumbersome and heavy. But with the help of a $ 100,000 grant from Microsoft, the University of Washington have created the first portable ultrasound device that fits in the palm of your hand by combining Microsoft Smartphone with USB-technology ultrasonic probe. With the device the patient data from remote locations can be sent to specialists on the phone immediately, and they in turn can examine the data and send back a diagnosis.

New Prostate Treatment: Cavitation

Treatment of prostate growths is traditionally invasive, painful and not always effective. At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, however, urologists have developed a new method of treating prostate growths by using highly focused microwave pulses. When these impulses reach the growth, they create bubbles of dissolved gas from the tissues of the prostate. When these microscopic bubbles explode, they create a shock wave that dissolves growth. This shock wave effect is called cavitation, and many thought that it could be controlled with such precision.

Microwaving Tumors

Liver cancer treatment involves either surgery or transplant. But a third option is now available at the UC San Diego Medical Center. It’s called microwave ablation and it involves inserting a thin needle into the cancerous tumor and then emitting hot microwaves into it, causing it to die after about 10 minutes. The potential to use microwave ablation to treat other types of cancer is being studied.