Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

Ultrasound is one of the most widely used imaging techniques in medicine, but until recently it lacked a significant role in imaging the tiniest structures of our bodies, such as cells. “Clinical ultrasound, like the kind used for pregnancy scans, creates real-time images of body parts,” first author Baptiste Heiles explains. “It allows diagnosis of various diseases, or to monitor a developing baby. However, what is going on at a microscopic level remains hidden.”