illustrative PHOTO: EPA/SCANPIX/LETA

Scientists from Munich have developed a new method for radiography suitable for diagnosis Covid-19.

“Researchers from technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new method for x-ray examination of the lungs, which is particularly suitable for the diagnosis Covid-19,” reports the German publication Die Welt (translation by inopressa.ru).

“In severe disease Covid-19 is a typical lesion of pulmonary bubbles. However, these bubbles are too small to disease-induced changes could be seen on a normal x-ray. Therefore, to check the status of the lungs of a patient with Covid-19, used computed tomography”.

“The main advantage of the new technology, called “visualization by the method of dark field,” is much smaller radiation load for the patient compared to CT”, – notes the edition.

“The classical radiography and in CT registers the attenuation of the intensity of x-ray radiation when passing through tissue. Using dark field, in turn, take into account that the x-ray radiation shifts the matter from his direct path, albeit weakly. Physicists call this effect dispersion”, the article says.

“This scattering is especially pronounced at the boundaries between air and tissue,” explains Professor Franz Pfeiffer, management at TUM Munich school of bioengineering. With the help of ambient light in the patient’s lungs can be distinguished from the unaffected region, the air-filled alveoli from areas where sacs caved in or filled with liquid.”

“The x-rays by the method of dark-field scattered radiation is determined using the interference effect. On the path of the radiation are set three diffraction gratings, the distance between the lines of these gratings in the low wavelength x-ray radiation is only a few micrometers, that is, a thousandth of a millimeter. (…) At the end of the rays is a semiconductor detector that detects the interference pattern of x-ray radiation. This detector gives a normal x-ray image, which is superimposed on the sample strips a few millimeters wide. In areas of the body where the scattering shifts a lot of radiation, that is, in areas of unaffected alveoli, this sample is weaker”.

“However, even if the new method has been proven, it cannot be directly used everywhere. According to the Pfeiffer, you will need at least a year until, as the devices will be ready to enter the market. “But we believe that the need for affordable, reliable and less invasive diagnosis Covid-19 will persist for a long time,” says Pfeiffer. In addition, gentle method dark field can be used to diagnose other diseases,” reports Die Welt.