Robust Longitudinal Ankle Edema Assessment Using Wearable Bioimpedance Spectroscopy.

OBJECTIVE

We present a robust methodology for tracking ankle edema longitudinally based on bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS).

METHODS

We designed a miniaturized BIS measurement system and employed a novel calibration method that enables accurate, high-resolution measurements with substantially lower power consumption than conventional approaches. Using this state-of-the-art wearable BIS measurement system, we developed a differential measurement technique for robust assessment of ankle edema. This technique addresses many of the major challenges in longitudinal BIS-based edema assessment, including day-to-day variability in electrode placement, positional/postural variability, and intersubject variability.

RESULTS

We first evaluated the hardware in bench-top testing, and determined the error of the bioimpedance measurements to be 0.4 Ω for the real components and 0.54 Ω for the imaginary components with a resolution of 0.2 Ω. We then validated the hardware and differential measurement technique in: 1) an ex vivo, fresh-frozen, cadaveric limb model, and 2) a cohort of 11 human subjects for proof of concept (eight healthy controls and five subjects with recently acquired acute unilateral ankle injury).

CONCLUSION

The hardware design, with novel calibration methodology, and differential measurement technique can potentially enable long-term quantification of ankle edema throughout the course of rehabilitation following acute ankle injuries.

SIGNIFICANCE

This could lead to better-informed decision making regarding readiness to return to activities and/or tailoring of rehabilitation activities to an individual's changing needs.