IoUS-guided surgical resection of gliomas is a useful tool for guiding the resection and for improving the extent of resection. IoUS can be used in conjunction with other complementary technologies that can improve anatomic orientation during surgery. Real-time imaging, improved image quality, small probe sizes, repeatability, portability, and relatively low cost make IoUS a realistic, cost-effective tool that complements any existing tools in any neurosurgical operating environment.

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Electrical conduction studies on Ba(Nd 0⋅ ⋅2 Ti 0⋅ ⋅6 Nb 0⋅ ⋅2 )O 3 ceramic samples prepared through conventional and microwave sintering route are presented in this paper. D.C. and a.c. conductivities of these samples as a function of temperature from 300-900 K have been studied. Two types of conduction processes are evident from the frequency dependant conductivity plots, i.e. low-frequency conduction due to short-range hopping and high-frequency conduction due to the localized relaxation (reorientational) hopping mechanism. Grain and grain boundary contributions to the conductivity in these samples are obtained from impedance/admittance measurements via equivalent circuit modelling.

packaging scheme that uses a thin flexible printed circuit board (PCB) wound inside a surgical needle. The flexible PCB is connected to a probe at the tip of the needle by means of magnetically aligned anisotropic conductive paste. This bonding technology offers higher compactness compared to conventional wire bonding, as the individual electrical connections are isolated from one another within the volume of the paste line, and applies a reduced thermal load compared to thermo-compression or eutectic packaging techniques. The reduction in the volume required for the interconnection allows for denser wiring of ultrasound probes within interventional tools. This allows the integration of arrays with higher element counts in confined packages, potentially enabling multi-modality imaging with Raman, OCT, and impediography. Promising experimental results and a prototype needle assembly are presented to demonstrate the viability of the proposed packaging scheme. The progress reported in this work are steps towards the production of fully-functional imaging-enabled needles that can be used as surgical guidance tools.