World's Smallest Blood Vessel Imaging Device Made

World's smallest endoscope using 3D printing has been developed to look inside blood vessels and help researchers better understand the causes of heart attack and heart disease progression, which could lead to improved treatment and prevention.

World’s smallest blood vessel imaging device has been developed to aid scientists better understand the causes of heart disease and attacks, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Light Science & Application.//

A multidisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians was able to 3D print a tiny lens on to the end of an optical fiber, the thickness of a human hair.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

‘When inserted into blood vessels, the novel camera-like imaging device provides high-quality 3D images to detect heart disease progression. ’

The imaging device is so small that researchers were able to scan inside the blood vessels of mice.

Dr Jiawen Li, co-author and Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, University of Adelaide, says in Australia cardiovascular disease kills one person every 19 minutes.

"A major factor in heart disease is the plaques, made up of fats, cholesterol and other substances that build up in the vessel walls," Dr. Li said.

Lifestyle Paths to Prevent Heart Disease
Heart disease can be of many types depending upon whether they involve the heart muscles or artery walls or heart beats. Bad lifestyle choices contribute to heart disease.

"Preclinical and clinical diagnostics increasingly rely on visualizing the blood vessels' structure to better understand the disease.

"Miniaturised endoscopes, which act like tiny cameras, allow high-quality how these plaques form and explore new ways to treat them," she said.

Tips to Prevent Heart Attacks
Heart Attack occurs when the flow of oxygenated blood to heart muscles is hindered or stopped due to built-up of plaques in coronary arteries. Heart Attack is the No.1 killer among Indians.

Dr. Simon Thiele, Group Leader, Optical Design and Simulation at the University of Stuttgart, was responsible for fabricating the tiny lens.

millimeters, we couldn't make high quality endoscopes this small," Dr. Thiele said.

Diet, Lifestyle and Heart Disease
The correlation between diet, lifestyle and heart disease. The importance of balanced diet life style and exercise for controlling heart disease.

"Using 3D micro-printing, we are able to print complicated lenses that are too small to see with the naked eye.

"The entire endoscope, with a protective plastic casing, is less than half a millimetre across," he said.

Dr. Li explains: "It's exciting to work on a project where we take these innovations and build them into something so useful.

"It's amazing what we can do when we put engineers and medical clinicians together," said Dr. Li.

Source-Eurekalert