University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA.
University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
J Biomech. 2021 May 7;120:110378. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110378. Epub 2021 Mar 14.
In this study, the reproducibility and validity of an automated artificial finger for evaluating properties of vaginal wall tissue was assessed. The effect of angle and rate of indentation on displacing the anterior vaginal wall (AVW) was studied in control and prolapse patients. Following IRB approval, an automated artificial finger equipped with a calibrated piezoresistive sensor at its tip was used to induce 3-second AVW deformation sequences (10°, 15°, and 20° indentation). Measurements were taken in patients in supine position, either awake in clinic or under anesthesia in the operating room (OR). The real time voltage output of a sensor (linearly proportional to the reaction force) was recorded for each motion profile to calculate key parameters: baseline voltages, amplitude changes over indentation intervals, and slopes of indentation curves. 23 women (9 controls and 14 prolapse) were studied, 6 in clinic and 17 in OR. No differences in mean reproducibility was noted across groups. There was a significant difference in sensor output based on selected motion profile parameters between different degrees of indentation for all women (p < 0.001) and in baseline voltage between age-matched and non-age-matched controls (p < 0.02). From these findings, we can conclude that indentation reaction properties of prolapsed and non-prolapsed AVW can be objectively measured using an operator-independent artificial finger with significant differences between patient groups.
本研究评估了一种自动人工手指评估阴道壁组织特性的重现性和有效性。研究了在对照组和脱垂患者中，凹陷角度和速率对前阴道壁（AVW）移位的影响。在获得机构审查委员会（IRB）批准后，使用配备有校准压阻式传感器的自动人工手指来诱导 3 秒钟的 AVW 变形序列（10°、15°和 20°的凹陷）。在仰卧位的患者中进行测量，无论是在诊所清醒状态下还是在手术室（OR）中麻醉状态下。传感器的实时电压输出（与反作用力成正比）被记录下来，用于计算每个运动曲线的关键参数：基线电压、凹陷间隔内的幅度变化以及凹陷曲线的斜率。共研究了 23 名女性（9 名对照组和 14 名脱垂组），其中 6 名在诊所，17 名在 OR。在不同的凹陷程度下，不同组之间的传感器输出的平均重现性没有差异。对于所有女性，不同运动曲线参数选择的传感器输出基于所选运动曲线参数存在显著差异（p<0.001），并且在基线电压方面，年龄匹配和非年龄匹配的对照组之间存在显著差异（p<0.02）。根据这些发现，我们可以得出结论，使用与操作者无关的人工手指可以客观地测量脱垂和非脱垂 AVW 的凹陷反应特性，并且在患者组之间存在显著差异。
