Ultrasound neural interface enabling acute spinal cord monitoring and blood flow modulation.

MUSIC, a temporary epidural ultrasound neural interface placed during decompression surgery for acute spinal cord injury, enables on-demand imaging of cord morphology and localized Doppler flow signatures.

• Why it matters: Postoperative days after acute SCI require better local monitoring than systemic surrogates, but clinicians lack on-demand access to spinal cord morphology and hemodynamics after wound closure.
• What they did: The Multimodal Ultrasound System for Injury Care (MUSIC) was tested in simulations, benchtop setups, human cadaveric studies, and porcine models using brightness-mode imaging and Doppler-derived hemodynamic monitoring, plus focused ultrasound actuation in healthy pigs.
• The result: MUSIC enabled visualization of cord structure and hematoma tracking, and it detected and longitudinally tracked localized Doppler flow signatures linked to the sulcal artery region, supporting proof-of-concept blood-flow velocity modulation in healthy pigs.

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