IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2018 Mar;65(3):687-697. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2017.2715064. Epub 2017 Jun 13.
The mechanical imaging of lumps in tissues via surface measurements can permit the noninvasive detection of disease-related differences in body tissues. We present and evaluate sensing techniques for the mechanical imaging of soft tissues, using a highly compliant electronic sensing array.
We developed a mechanical imaging system for capturing tissue properties during automatic- or human-guided palpation. It combines extremely compliant capacitive tactile sensors based on soft polymers and microfluidic electrodes with custom electronic data acquisition hardware, and new algorithms for enhanced tactile imaging by reference to nominal tissue responses.
We demonstrate that the system is able to image simulated tumors (lumps), yielding accurate estimates of cross-sectional area independent of embedding depth. In addition, as a proof of concept, we show that similar tactile images can be obtained when the sensor is worn on a palpating finger.
Soft capacitive sensors can accurately image lumps in soft tissue provided that care is taken to control and compensate for electrical and mechanical background signals.
The results underline the utility of soft electronic sensors for applications in medical imaging or clinical practices of palpation.
通过表面测量对组织肿块进行力学成像，可以实现对人体组织中与疾病相关的差异的非侵入性检测。我们提出并评估了使用高顺应性电子传感阵列进行软组织力学成像的传感技术。
我们开发了一种用于在自动或手动触诊过程中获取组织特性的力学成像系统。它结合了基于软聚合物的极高顺应性电容式触觉传感器和微流控电极，以及用于通过参考标称组织响应来增强触觉成像的新算法。
我们证明该系统能够对模拟肿瘤（肿块）进行成像，能够准确估计截面积，而与嵌入深度无关。此外，作为概念验证，我们表明当传感器戴在触诊手指上时，也可以获得类似的触觉图像。
软电容式传感器可以准确地对软组织中的肿块进行成像，前提是要注意控制和补偿电气和机械背景信号。
这些结果强调了软电子传感器在医学成像或触诊临床实践中的应用价值。
