Dr. Tulio A. Valdez of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center’s Division of Otolaryngology has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for his research pertaining to the use of specialized equipment in treating pediatric middle ear infections, CCMC announced today.
The research pertains to use of a new prototype of the otoscope, a non-invasive tool used for inspecting the ear. Valdez coauthored the research, titled “Using the shortwave infrared to image middle ear pathologies,” with Jessica Ann Carr, Oliver Thomas Burns and Moungi G. Bawendi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The new device is expected to look and function very much like existing otoscopes that most doctors currently use to diagnose ear infections. But unlike these conventional devices, which use visible light and can only see a few millimeters into the tissues of the ear, the new device uses shortwave infrared light, which can penetrate much deeper, allowing for more accurate diagnosis and treatment, CCMC said in its news release.
This particular otoscope creates images of underlying middle ear anatomy and enhances the contrast of middle ear fluid, which is necessary for diagnosing otitis media (ear infections). That precision is revolutionizing the way common ear infections are diagnosed and treated.
