Traditional medical imaging, used to diagnose, monitor or treat certain diseases, has long struggled to get clear images of dark-skinned patients, experts say.
Researchers have announced that they have discovered a method to improve medical imaging, allowing doctors to observe the inside of the body, regardless of skin color.
The latest discoveries were released in the October issue of the journal Photoacoustics. A group of researchers conducted tests on the forearms of 18 volunteers, encompassing individuals with a spectrum of skin tones. Their findings revealed a correlation between the degree of clutter, a distortion of the photoacoustic signal affecting the clarity of imaging, and the darkness of the skin.
“Skin essentially functions as a sound transmitter, but it does not transmit the same type of focused sound found in ultrasound. Instead, the sound is diffused throughout and causes considerable confusion,” stated Bell. “Consequently, the scattering of sound due to melanin absorption becomes increasingly problematic as the melanin concentration rises.”
Changing a technique
The research, conducted in partnership with Brazilian researchers who had prior experience with one of Bell’s algorithms, revealed that the signal-to-noise ratio, a scientific metric for comparing signal strength to background noise, was enhanced across all skin tones when the researchers employed a method known as “short-lag spatial coherence beamforming” during medical imaging. This technique, initially designed for ultrasound imaging, has the potential to be adapted for use in photoacoustic imaging.
The method combines both light and ultrasound technologies to create a novel medical imaging approach, as explained by Theo Pavan, who is associated with the physics department at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. According to Pavan, their research confirmed that this new technique is significantly less influenced by skin color, resulting in higher image quality compared to the conventional methods commonly employed in the field.
The researchers noted that their study is the initial one to make an objective assessment of skin tone and to provide both qualitative and quantitative evidence showing that the skin photoacoustic signal and clutter artifacts are amplified as the epidermal melanin content increases.
Broader rethinking in health care
The researchers’ findings may have significant implications for promoting equity in healthcare on a broader scale.Dr. Camara Jones, a family physician, epidemiologist, and former president of the American Public Health Association, who was not involved in the study, highlighted the bias in scientific technology in favor of products that are more effective for individuals with lighter skin tones.Jones emphasized that utilizing race as a health risk factor is a significant issue, as it is a social construct based on societal interpretations of physical appearance rather than biological factors. She pointed to the absence of genetic basis for racial sub-speciation in the human genome as evidence to support this assertion.Prior research has also identified skin tone biases in medical technology, with findings indicating that medical equipment employing infrared sensing may not perform as effectively on darker skin due to potential interference with light reflection.
Bell expressed optimism that her research could open the door to eradicating bias in healthcare and motivate others to create technology that benefits all individuals, irrespective of their skin color.
“I believe that with the ability to show that we can devise and develop technology — that doesn’t just work for one small subset of the population but works for a wider range of the population. This is very inspiring for not only my group, but for groups around the world to start thinking in this direction when designing technology. Does it serve the wider population?” Bell said.
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Post time: Jan-16-2024
