Sound has a long history in medicine, from the stethoscopes doctors have used since the early 19th century to listen to the internal sounds of the human body to the obstetric ultrasound images so familiar to expectant parents.
Now scientists are finding many more advanced applications of sound in medicine.
Sound waves can assess potentially dangerous atherosclerotic plaques, monitor chronic liver disease, and help deliver drugs to particular locations within the body. Ultrasound devices can image tumors deep inside the body, and acoustical energy can be focused upon those tumors as a way of treating cancer. Acoustics is also blending with other disciplines such as psychology and neuroscience to help improve communication for people with speech disorders and hearing problems.
These applications and many more will be described at Acoustics '08 Paris -- the largest ever meeting devoted to the science of acoustics. The meeting will take place Monday June 30 through Friday July 4, 2008 at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, France.
This news release highlights just a few of the biomedical talks at Acoustics '08 Paris. More details on the other 3,500 presentations at the meeting and instructions for journalists who wish to cover the meeting are contained at the bottom of this release. -American Institute of Physics
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