Non-invasive methods

Considerable corrosion monitoring is carried out utilising invasive methods, i.e. where the corrosion sensor is required to penetrate the pipe or vessel wall. Avoidance of penetration using non-invasive methods (thin layer activation, ultrasonics, radiography and magnetic fingerprinting) is receiving considerable developmental attention. 

Ultrasound and X-ray equipment are examples of diagnostic medical devices. In-vitro medical devices are distinguished from other diagnostic medical devices, in that a specimen must first of all be removed from the donor. A device worn by a diabetic that continually monitors their glucose via a non-invasive method (near-infra-red energy emissions) would be just regulated as a medical device, whereas a glucosemonitoring device that used a lancet to obtain a blood sample would be an IVD. 

Zeimer, R, Belkin, M., Leitersdorff, E. and Rachmilewitz, E.A. (1978). A non-invasive method for the evaluation of tissue iron deposition in beta-thalassemia major. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 91, 24-31. 

Intensified metabolic control, especially in case of diabetes, demands minimal-invasive or non-invasive methods of analytical measurement. For this goal, a method has been developed to measure the blood glucose content in vivo, in direct contact with the skin, by means of diffuse reflection near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy on the basis of multivariate calibration and neural networks (Muller et al. [1997] Fischbacher et al. [1997] Danzer et al. [1998]). Because no patients with any standard blood glucose value are available in principle, a method of indirect calibration has... 

S. Dikstein and A. Zlotogorsky, Skin surface hydrogen ion concentration (pH), in Cutaneous Investigation in Health and Disease — Non-Invasive Methods and Instrumentation (J.L. Leveque, ed.), pp. 59-62. Marcel Dekker, New York (1989). 

E. O. Reynolds, J. S. Wyatt, D. Azzopardi, D. T. Delpy, E. B. Cady, M. Cope, and S. Wray. New non-invasive methods for assessing brain oxygenation and hemodynamics. British Medical Bulletin, 44 1052-1075, 2004. 

Despite the undeniable advantages of using MR to characterize mechanical waves (non-invasive method, high quality 3D images) a limited number of studies dealt with this subject. The reasons for this are two-fold difficulty and expensiveness. 

Murphy, D.J., Joran, M.E., and Grando, J.C., A non-invasive method for distinguishing central from peripheral nervous system effects of respiratory depressant drugs in conscious rats, General Pharmacol., 26, 569-575,1995. 

The objective of this article is to show how to apply a tiered approach, making broad use of non-invasive methods, where possible, especially for large industrial sites with complex sub-surface characteristics, maximizing efficiency in terms of time- and cost-effectiveness, and determining all factors necessary for the rapid design of containment measures and for long-term site remediation. 

Durian is one of the most commercially important fresh fruits in S.E. Asia, yet sorting immature from mature fruit by external measures is very difficult, so it is a prime candidate for non-invasive methods. Yantarasri and co-workers have sought correlations between soluble solids and sensory estimates of maturity with X-ray CT and NIRS measurements with moderate success but more recently they observed that MRI spin-echo image contrast at 0.5 T varied with the degree of maturity. Unfortunately no attempt was made to quantify relaxation time changes or separate oil-water peaks. However it was suggested that the contrast differences indicated signihcantly lower oil content in unripe durian compared to the ripe and overripe fruit. 

T. Moy, A. Calabria and C. Hsu, Near infrared a non-invasive method to determine residual moisture of lyophi-lized protein pharmaceuticals, American Chemical Society 221st National Meeting, BIOT-016. Meeting abstract, 2001. 

Many pathological events are associated with alterations of pH homeostasis, including tumors and cardiovascular diseases (121-124). The task to develop non-invasive methods for measuring pH in vivo has stimulated many researchers, especially in MR field, in designing probes sensitive to the hydrogen ion concentration (125-129). 

Hepatocyte transplantation is being explored as an alternative to whole-organ transplantation. In addition, gene transfer therapy is being developed for familial hypercholesterolemia. A non-invasive method to serially assess the metabolic status and proliferation of hepa-tocytes transferred as treatment for end-stage liver disease or genetic... 

Pattinson KT, Bowes M, Wise RG, et al. Evaluation of a non-invasive method of assessing opioid induced respiratory depression. Anaesthesia. 2005 60 426-432. 

Iin, T.P., Hsu, Ch.C Determination of residual moisture in lyophilized protein pharmaceuticals using a rapid and non-invasive method near-infrared spectroscopy. PDA J. Pharm. Sci. Technol. 56, pp. 196-205, 2002... 

Novaro, P., Colucci, F., Venora, G., and D Egidio, M.G. 2001. Image analysis of whole grains A non-invasive method to predict semolina yield in durum wheat. Cereal Chem. 78(3), 217-221. Odgaard, A. 1997. Three-dimensional methods for quantification of cancellous bone architecture. Bone 20, 315-328. 

Therefore we propose here an alternative route to inspect the local dielectric and polarization properties using non-destructive and non-invasive methods based on scanning force microscopy (sfm). Simultaneously, these techniques offer a high resolution in real space being extended down to the atomic scale when inspecting ferroelectric systems under ultra-high... 

Serup, J. and Jemec, G. (I ids), Handbook of Non-Invasive Methods and the Skin, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1995. 

Schatz, H., Altmeyer, P., and Kligman, A. Dry skin and scaling evaluted by D-Squames and image analysis. In Handbook of non-invasive methods and the skin. Serup, J. and Jemec, G.B.E. (Eds.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 153-157 (1995). 

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