Iknife
Iknife
The Iknife (pronounced /aɪˈnaɪf/) is a revolutionary medical tool used in surgical procedures. It is a mass spectrometry-based device that provides real-time diagnostic information about the tissue being cut, allowing surgeons to identify the boundaries of a tumor more accurately during surgery.
Etymology
The term "Iknife" is a portmanteau of the words "intelligent" and "knife", reflecting the tool's ability to provide intelligent feedback to the surgeon.
History
The Iknife was developed by Zoltan Takats at Imperial College London in 2013. It was designed to address the challenge of identifying the margins of cancerous tissue during surgery, a task that traditionally relied on the surgeon's experience and judgement.
Function
The Iknife works by analyzing the smoke produced when a surgeon cuts tissue with an electrosurgical knife. This smoke is sucked into a mass spectrometer, which can identify the chemical composition of the tissue. The results are then compared to a database of tissue types, allowing the Iknife to determine whether the tissue is cancerous or healthy in real-time.
Related Terms
- Electrosurgical knife: A type of surgical instrument that uses an electrical current to cut tissue and control bleeding.
- Mass spectrometry: An analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of ions to identify and quantify molecules in simple and complex mixtures.
- Tumor margins: The edge of a tumor, which surgeons aim to remove completely during surgery to prevent the cancer from returning.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Iknife
- Wikipedia's article - Iknife
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