Funnel volume measuring method for newborn false funnel chest
By using ultra-light clay and a measuring cylinder to measure the funnel volume of neonatal pseudopectus excavatum, the problems of trauma, radiation and high cost of traditional examination methods are solved, and accurate and simple funnel volume assessment is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511671096.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-13
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies make it difficult to accurately assess the funnel volume of pseudopectus excavatum during the neonatal period, and traditional examination methods are invasive, involve radiation, are expensive, are complex to operate, and rely on the experience of the examiners.
Ultra-light clay is used to fill the depression in the pseudo-funnel chest of newborns, and the volume of the funnel is measured using a graduated cylinder and water volume. Combined with simple operating steps and low-cost consumables, non-invasive and radiation-free volume measurement is achieved.
It provides an intuitive, accurate, non-invasive, and low-cost method for measuring funnel volume, simplifying the operation process, reducing reliance on the experience of the examiners, and avoiding the transfer of children and radiation exposure.
Smart Images
Figure CN121313149A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of funnel volume measurement technology for pectus excavatum, and specifically to a method for measuring the funnel volume of neonatal pseudopectus excavatum. Background Technology
[0002] See Figure 1 Pectus excavatum (PE) is a common congenital anterior chest wall deformity characterized by a dorsal inclination and depression of the sternal body from the lower edge of the manubrium to the upper edge of the xiphoid process, with the lower ribs on both sides also bending dorsally, resulting in a funnel-shaped depression in the lower anterior chest. PE often has a significant psychological impact on patients due to its deformity and aesthetic impairment, leading to low self-esteem, depression, and decreased academic performance. Some patients may also experience cardiopulmonary dysfunction, decreased exercise tolerance, and recurrent respiratory infections. Moderate to severe PE requires surgical intervention, which is invasive, painful, and expensive.
[0003] See Figure 2 Newborns often experience difficulty breathing and strong compensatory contractions of the respiratory muscles, leading to chest retraction and the development of neonatal pseudopectus excavatum (PPE). If PPE is not treated promptly, it will worsen and may even develop into PE. Once PE forms, it generally cannot heal on its own.
[0004] Current technologies typically assess the severity of PE using CT scans, chest X-rays, or 3D scans. However, CT scans and chest X-rays are invasive (X-ray radiation), and while 3D scans are radiation-free, they require a specialized white light scanner (WLS), making them expensive. Furthermore, these methods require transporting the infant, and the accuracy of the results is greatly affected by the skill and experience of the examiners, making them unsuitable for use during the neonatal period. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for measuring the funnel volume in neonatal pseudopectus excavatum.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:
[0007] This invention proposes a method for measuring the funnel volume in neonatal pseudopectus excavatum, comprising the following steps:
[0008] S1. Use ultra-light clay to fill the depression in the newborn PPE, so that the surface of the ultra-light clay is flat and level with the chest cavity around the funnel.
[0009] S2, add water into the measuring cylinder and record the initial volume of water in the measuring cylinder; after taking out the ultra-light clay for filling, place it at the bottom of the measuring cylinder, and the volume of the water level rise in the measuring cylinder is the volume of the funnel.
[0010] S3. Repeat steps S1 and S2 three times. The average of the funnel volumes three times is the final funnel volume.
[0011] Furthermore, in step S1, after filling the depression of the newborn PPE with super light clay, use a ruler with a round hole to repeatedly press it parallel from top to bottom to remove excess super light clay, so that the surface of the super light clay is flat and level with the chest cavity around the funnel.
[0012] Furthermore, in step S2, the measuring cylinder has a capacity of 10ml. 5ml of water is added to the 10ml measuring cylinder. After taking out the ultralight clay for leveling, the ultralight clay is placed at the bottom of the measuring cylinder with tweezers. The number of ml by which the water level in the measuring cylinder rises is the volume of the funnel.
[0013] Furthermore, after placing the ultralight clay at the bottom of the graduated cylinder, use 2.5ml and 1ml syringes to draw water from the graduated cylinder until the liquid level returns to 5ml. The number of ml of water drawn out by the syringes is the volume of the funnel.
[0014] Furthermore, the ultralight clay is clay with a nano-coating, which makes it waterproof and will not dissolve in water.
[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the method of this invention provides intuitive and accurate results, is non-invasive, non-toxic, and radiation-free, is simple to operate, time-saving, highly repeatable, requires few consumables, is inexpensive, can be performed at the bedside, and does not require transportation. It overcomes the shortcomings of traditional PE assessment methods, such as complex operation, long time consumption, high examination costs, invasiveness (X-ray radiation), the need to transport the child, and the accuracy of the results being affected by the examiner's skills and experience. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Figure 1 This is a real-life image of an adult PE (the arrow in the image points to the funnel-shaped part).
[0017] Figure 2 PPE for newborns (arrow in the image points to the funnel area).
[0018] Figure 3 The ultralight clay used in Example 1.
[0019] Figure 4 The ruler with a round hole used in Example 1.
[0020] Figure 5 This is a real-life image of the recessed area of neonatal PPE filled with Chenguang ultralight clay in Example 1.
[0021] Figure 6 This is an actual image of the clay being pressed with a ruler with a round hole in Example 1 to remove excess ultralight clay.
[0022] Figure 7This is a photograph of 5 ml of water being added to a 10 ml graduated cylinder.
[0023] Figure 8 The image shows an example of using tweezers to place ultralight clay into 5 ml of water in a graduated cylinder.
[0024] Figure 9 This is a real-world example where the rising liquid level was pumped out with a syringe, and the water level returned to the 5ml mark.
[0025] Figure 10 The funnel volume shown for the syringe in the example is... Detailed Implementation
[0026] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following embodiments are merely illustrative and explanatory of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. All technologies implemented based on the above content of the present invention are covered within the scope of protection intended by the present invention.
[0027] Example 1
[0028] CPAP: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the most frequent non-invasive ventilation mode in the NICU, and it significantly reduces adverse reactions associated with intubation and mechanical ventilation.
[0029] The following steps were performed to measure the funnel volume of pseudopectus excavatum in 12 newborns before and after CPAP treatment:
[0030] S1, take Morning Light Ultra-Light Clay (see...) Figure 3 After filling in the depressions in the newborn's PPE (based on the inspiratory phase), use a 20cm ruler with a round hole (see...). Figure 4 Gently press down repeatedly from top to bottom to remove excess super light clay, making the surface of the super light clay flat and level with the circumference of the funnel (see...). Figure 5 and Figure 6 );
[0031] S2, Add 5ml of water to a 10ml graduated cylinder (see...) Figure 7 After taking out the super light clay for leveling, knead it by hand until it is smaller than the diameter of the graduated cylinder and lower than the height of 5ml of water inside the graduated cylinder. Then, use tweezers to place the super light clay into the 5ml of water in the graduated cylinder (the tweezers should not be wet during the placement process). (See...) Figure 8 The number of ml that the water level in the graduated cylinder rises is the volume of the funnel.
[0032] S3. Repeat steps S1 and S2 three times. The average of the funnel volumes three times is the final funnel volume.
[0033] The funnel volume measurement results of 12 cases of pseudopectus excavatum in newborns are shown in Table 1 below. The funnel volume index (FVI) is calculated as funnel volume (ml) / body weight (kg). The unit is ml / kg.
[0034] Table 1
[0035]
[0036]
[0037] Example 2
[0038] Measure the funnel volume of pseudopectus excavatum in newborns before and after CPAP treatment using the following steps:
[0039] S1. After filling the depression of the newborn PPE with Chenguang super light clay, use a 20cm ruler with a round hole to repeatedly and gently press from top to bottom to remove excess super light clay so that the surface of the super light clay is flat and level with the chest around the funnel.
[0040] S2, see reference Figures 7-10 Add 5ml of water to a 10ml graduated cylinder. Take out the super light clay for leveling and knead it by hand until it is smaller than the diameter of the graduated cylinder and lower than the height of the 5ml water inside. Then, use tweezers to place the super light clay into the 5ml of water in the graduated cylinder (the tweezers should not be wet during this process). (First, use a 2.5ml syringe to draw a whole milliliter: 1ml or 2ml). This implementation example... Figure 8 As shown, first use a 2ml syringe to draw 1ml, then use a 1ml syringe to draw less than 1ml, until the liquid level returns to 5ml. The number of ml of water drawn out of the syringe is the volume of the funnel.
[0041] S3. Repeat steps S1 and S2 three times. The average of the funnel volumes three times is the final funnel volume.
[0042] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that the specific embodiments described are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the spirit of the invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method of measuring the funnel volume of a neonatal pseudo-funnel chest, characterized by: The method comprises the following steps: S1, taking ultra-light clay to fill the concave part of the newborn PPE, so that the surface of the ultra-light clay is flat and flush with the chest contour around the funnel; S2, add water to the measuring cylinder, and record the initial volume of water in the measuring cylinder; after taking out the ultra-light clay for filling, place it at the bottom of the measuring cylinder, and the volume of the water level rising in the measuring cylinder is the volume of the funnel; S3, repeat steps S1 and S2 three times, and the average of the three funnel volumes is the final funnel volume.
2. The method of measuring the funnel volume of a neonatal pseudopectus funehus according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S1, after taking ultra-light clay to fill the concave part of the newborn PPE, a straight ruler with a round hole is used to press repeatedly from top to bottom in parallel to remove the excess ultra-light clay, so that the surface of the ultra-light clay is flat and flush with the chest contour around the funnel.
3. The method of measuring the funnel volume of a neonatal pseudopectus according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, the capacity of the measuring cylinder is 10ml, 5ml of water is added to the 10ml measuring cylinder, the ultra-light clay for filling is taken out and placed at the bottom of the measuring cylinder with tweezers, and the ml number of the water level rising in the measuring cylinder is the volume of the funnel.
4. The method of measuring the funnel volume of a neonatal pseudopectus funehus according to claim 3, characterized in that: After placing the ultra-light clay at the bottom of the measuring cylinder, 2.5ml and 1ml syringes are used to extract water in the measuring cylinder until the liquid level returns to 5ml, and the ml number of the water extracted in the syringe is the volume of the funnel.
5. The method of measuring the funnel volume of a neonatal pseudopectus according to claim 1, wherein: The ultra-light clay is clay added with nano coating, which has waterproof performance and will not dissolve in water.