Biodegradable ultrasound contrast tape for tracing intestinal motility

Postoperative complications such as intestinal motility disorders and obstructions require regular monitoring following small intestine resection. While imaging techniques like MRI and CT offer high-resolution visualization of internal organs, their use is limited by the need for trained operators and constraints on frequent monitoring. Ultrasonography, although capable of continuous imaging of deep tissues, is challenged by the weak acoustic reflections from soft intestinal tissue. In this work, we present a biodegradable ultrasound contrast tape (BioUCT) designed for robust, conformal adhesion to the intestinal surface to enable high-contrast ultrasound imaging. The soft BioUCT has a strong ultrasound reflection (>90%), generated from periodic air cells sealed in tough hydrogels. The BioUCT achieved ultrasound contrast imaging of the small intestine for 2 weeks and degraded naturally within 12 weeks in a live pig, enabling the regular and wireless monitoring of postoperative intestinal motility.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-08-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63310-8
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Surgical Simulation and Training
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.01

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Biodegradable ultrasound contrast tape for tracing intestinal motility

Lei Hua, Xiaohuan Lu, Hanchuan Tang, Yueying Yang et al.
2 citations
Nature Communications
Surgical Simulation and Training
4.01
article

Biodegradable ultrasound contrast tape for tracing intestinal motility

Lei Hua, Xiaohuan Lu, Hanchuan Tang, Yueying Yang, Mengyuan Zhou, Xurui Liu, Ye Yuan, Wei Wang, Yang Yu, Yizhou Huang, Jianfeng Zang, Zuliang Du, Xin‐Wu Cui, Ling Qin, Na Li, Jiaxin Wang, Xiaofeng Zhang, Ye Tian, Yuli Li, Zhi-Zhong Pan, Jie Chen
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Postoperative complications such as intestinal motility disorders and obstructions require regular monitoring following small intestine resection. While imaging techniques like MRI and CT offer high-resolution visualization of internal organs, their use is limited by the need for trained operators and constraints on frequent monitoring. Ultrasonography, although capable of continuous imaging of deep tissues, is challenged by the weak acoustic reflections from soft intestinal tissue. In this work, we present a biodegradable ultrasound contrast tape (BioUCT) designed for robust, conformal adhesion to the intestinal surface to enable high-contrast ultrasound imaging. The soft BioUCT has a strong ultrasound reflection (>90%), generated from periodic air cells sealed in tough hydrogels. The BioUCT achieved ultrasound contrast imaging of the small intestine for 2 weeks and degraded naturally within 12 weeks in a live pig, enabling the regular and wireless monitoring of postoperative intestinal motility.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Union Hospital (HK), Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (CN), Tongji Hospital (CN), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
China Association for Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, State Key Lab of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Surgical Simulation and Training
4.01
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.