Grant: Idea to Innovation

This project will develop an ultrasound-based tool for diagnosis of MSK (musculoskeletal) tendon injuries and assessment of tendon surgical repair outcomes. This is achieved by using readily available ultrasound machines to non-invasively measure tendon excursion within the arm/wrist. The proposed measurement tool is aimed for implementation as an add-on application for existing commercial ultrasound machines, and could provide them with new diagnostic and assessment functionality that is not currently available. It has valuable application in four areas: (a) as a diagnostic tool for doctors to determine hand impairment due to tendon injuries, (b) as a planning tool for surgical repairs, (c) as an assessment tool to evaluate post-surgical outcomes and monitor the rehabilitation regiment, and (d) as a training tool for technicians and resident doctors. The proposed technology works by monitoring a sequence of B-Scan ultrasound images, and uses speckle tracking to measure the displacement of the tendons. This internal displacement information, together with an external visual assessment of the patient's hand function, can be used to diagnose various injuries and assess rehabilitation progress. Within this I2I Phase I project, we will develop our lab-grade system into a clinical system by increasing the accuracy and efficiency of the tracking technique, developing an auto-localization feature to locate the tendon for better tracking, and developing a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be used by ultrasound technicians. This clinical system will be developed to work with existing ultrasound machines, and guides the medical professional through a series of measurements and steps, to simplify the diagnosis procedure. The end result will be improved diagnosis of tendon pathologies, patient rehabilitation through assessment of the rehab regiment, and training of doctors.