科學家最近發現一種利用超聲振動來捕獲腫瘤影像地方法。這種技術涉及對膠質對象使用超聲振動來成像，這種膠質對象通常是圓形的，比如血細胞和懸浮在液體中的顆粒。

美國布朗大學的研究人員正在進行一項研究，他們將一束超聲波射入身體某個區域來產生射頻信號，然后經過處理反應出膠質對象的空間特征。這項技術在組織與血液之間產生500倍對比，使得該技術有助于腫瘤成像，因為根據科學家的說法，腫瘤組織比正常組織具有更多的血管。

直接包繞在顆粒周圍體液的電荷與顆粒表面電荷相反。這使得顆粒聚集在一起。當聲波撞擊膠質狀物體的時候，導致環繞顆粒周圍的體液產生振動。振動電荷產生交互電流，從而產生射頻波譜。

與此相反的是，傳統超聲成像利用不同密度物質導致聲波速度的變化來顯示不同組織的影像。根據科學家的說法，這種新技術在2～5年之后即可用于臨床乳腺影像檢查。這項研究成果發表在2004年11月20日的《應用物理通信》上。

Ultrasonic Vibrations Capture Tumor Images
 
Scientists have discovered a way to utilize ultrasonic vibrations to capture images of tumors. The technique involves using ultrasonic vibrations to image colloidal objects, which are spherical in shape, such as blood cells and particles that are suspended in fluid.

The investigators, from Brown University (Providence, RI, USA), are performing a study in which they shoot a beam of ultrasound through an area of the body to generate a radiofrequency signal, which they then process to produce a spatial representation of colloidal objects. The technique produces a 500-fold contrast between tissue and blood, which makes it potentially useful for imaging tumors because tumors have more blood vessels than normal tissue, according to the scientists.

The fluid directly surrounding a particle carries an electric charge opposite the charge on the surface of the particle. This keeps particles from bunching together. When sound waves hit colloidal objects, they cause the fluid around the particles to oscillate. The oscillating charge produces an alternating current, which products radiofrequency waves.

In contrast, conventional ultrasonic imaging utilizes alterations in speed of the sound waves caused by substances with different densities to image different kinds of tissue. This new technique could be ready for clinical use in mammogram technology in two to five years, according to the scientists. Their study was published in the November 29, 2004, issue of the journal Applied Physics Letter.