July 27, 2010 β Atherosclerotic plaque causes audible turbulence in the bloodstream and a new device can help isolate these sounds to aid in earlier detection of plaque changes.
The Stethotron is a noninvasive listening device that filters vascular turbulence noise and makes it audible. Doctors can quickly and easily detect early atherosclerotic changes in vessels before more acute symptoms appear.
The vascular turbulence is detected at 300-1000 Hz to help reveal pathology. The device may help eliminating the cost of ultrasound imaging.
Standard and electronic stethoscopes are designed to listen to heart and lung signals between 10-300 Hz. But these waves do not travel in straight paths and this frequency is a physiological sound. This may lead to uncertainty of origin and may cause diagnosis errors.
For more information: www.Stethotron.com