Apps and 3D printed devices seem to hold an interesting future for initial medical diagnoses. Recently, All3DP reported on Eyeagnosis – a 3D printed device and app to diagnose diabetic retinopathy.

The latest in 3D printed medical devices comes from researchers at the University of Washington. The team has developed both an app called BiliScreen which works with a 3D printed box.

BiliScreen then detects scleral jaundice in an adult’s eye and, therefore, can detect liver and pancreatic disorders. However, the system is not replacing doctors but instead detects early symptoms.

The researchers explain that pancreatic cancer has one of the worst survival rates, most likely due to symptoms going unnoticed. In fact, 80-85% of patients won’t “present themselves” until tumors are so advanced that they can’t be removed completely.

However, one of the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, known as jaundice. Detecting the cause of jaundice requires a trip to the doctor and a blood sample. BiliScreen offers a non-contact alternative which is more likely to encourage patients to get checked regularly.

How does BiliScreen Work?

With pancreatic cancer, bilirubin levels start to increase and eventually cause jaundice. However, when jaundice is noticeable in the eye, there is already a high level of bilirubin in the blood and a patient is in the severe stages of a disease.

The aim of BiliScreen is to detect bilirubin and jaundice at very low levels by using computer vision and machine learning. As well as being more desirable than a blood test, it is also a cheaper and easier option.

The researchers developed BiliScreen, building on the work of BiliCam which is a smartphone app to screen babies for jaundice. The system works by using a smartphone camera and algorithms to measure the bilirubin levels in the white area of an adult’s eye.

The researchers take lighting into account by using the app alongside a 3D printed box which blocks out external lightning. By incorporating this box, they found that BiliScreen was around 90% as accurate as a blood test. However, this study was small and only included 70 people.

Other than a 3D printed box, the researchers also found they could use paper glasses with colored squares which are calibrated to the app. After initially great results, they will present their work at Ubicomp 2017 held in September.

Source: Engadget