Cell Phone Finds Use As Diagnostic Tool In Areas Without Ultrasound, X-Ray Machines

Berkeley, CA (AHN) - A professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and his colleagues have developed a cheaper way to perform medical imaging using a cellular phone.

Boris Rubinsky's team has developed a portable medical scanner that can be plugged into a cellular phone, which transmits raw ultrasound or X-ray scanning data to a remote computer processor. The computer then converts the data to images and relays these back for viewing on the cell phone screen.

The innovative concept, which was described in Wednesday's issue of the journal PLoS ONE, is a cheaper and easier alternative to conventional medical scanning service because one computer server does the imaging for many scanners.

Traditional ultrasound and X-ray machines are bulky because their components consist of a computer, video monitor and scanner. These are also very expensive; an ultrasound machine costs about $70,000 while a portable scanner will only cost $1,000.

According to Foxnews.com, Rubinsky said the portable scanners "could open up whole new avenues of health care for the developing world. Health professionals in rural clinics could affordably get the tools they need to properly diagnose and treat their patients."