High frequency ultrasound detection of diabetic foot disease

Diabetes is an increasing healthcare concern; 15%-25% of patients develop Diabetic Foot Disease
(DFD) which can result in amputation. With DFD, tissues undergo a change in stiffness due to
changes in the cell-to-cell forces inside the skin’s tissue. An ultrasound image is composed of sound
echoes that arise from materials of differing stiffness, and thus it can be used to measure changes in
elasticity. Therefore, the aim of this project is to develop high resolution ultrasound probes to image
the difference between healthy and diabetic tissues to map out the progression of diabetic foot
disease