Cardiac-Synchronized Elastography for Stable Liver Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liver stiffness measurement (LSM) technologies exhibit significant variability due to factors beyond measurement conditions and subject respiratory cycles, leading to inaccurate and inconsistent results.
Innovation Solution
An elastography device that synchronizes mechanical property measurements with cardiac signals, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) peaks, to determine liver stiffness by triggering measurements at specific events or continuously capturing data correlated with cardiac activity, reducing variability and enhancing accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple liver stiffness measurements are collected at different timepoints and averaged, then a representative LSM value is provided, but significant variability remains due to factors beyond measurement conditions and respiratory cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of cardiac cycle events (such as R-waves in ECG) before triggering the mechanical pulse and measurement sequence. This preliminary action allows synchronization of the measurement with specific physiological states, ensuring that measurements are taken at consistent points in the cardiac cycle, thereby reducing variability and improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from cardiac signals (ECG, pulse wave) to dynamically adjust and trigger measurements. The detected cardiac events provide feedback that controls the timing of subsequent measurements, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to the subject's physiological state and ensures measurements are taken under consistent conditions.
2Productivity
If measurements are triggered manually by an operator, then several measurements can be collected, but the timing relative to cardiac activity is uncontrolled, leading to variability
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service operation where the device automatically detects cardiac events and triggers measurements without requiring manual intervention from the operator. The measurement system serves itself by using its own cardiac signal detection capability to control the measurement timing, eliminating the need for operator judgment while maintaining consistent measurement timing relative to cardiac activity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical/manual triggering mechanism with an automated electronic control system that responds to electrical cardiac signals. Instead of relying on operator action to trigger measurements, the electronic system automatically detects cardiac events and triggers the measurement sequence, substituting manual mechanical operation with automated electronic control for more precise and consistent timing.
3Measurement precision
If the subject holds their breath during measurement, then respiratory variability is reduced, but cardiac activity effects become more prominent and need to be accounted for
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the measurement process into distinct cardiac cycle phases by detecting specific cardiac events (such as R-waves). Measurements are segmented and organized according to their timing within the cardiac cycle, allowing separate analysis of measurements taken at different physiological phases. This segmentation enables selective averaging or comparison of measurements from specific cardiac phases, reducing variability while maintaining manageable processing requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides more accurate and reliable liver stiffness measurements by accounting for variations over time, improving diagnostic precision and reducing noise, especially when the subject holds their breath, allowing for better patient risk stratification and potential detection of cardiovascular pathologies.
Implementation Method 1
This pulse generates elastic waves that travel in the subject's body
Implementation Method 2
The mechanical pulse delivered by the probe's tip generates both a shear wave and of a compression wave
Implementation Method 3
The mechanical pulse delivered by the probe's tip generates both a shear wave and of a compression wave
Implementation Method 4
An ultrasound transducer mounted on the probe's tip, in contact with the subject's body, then emits a number of ultrasound shots into the tissue
Implementation Method 5
The echo signals, corresponding to the backscattering of the different ultrasound shots emitted, are acquired by the probe
Implementation Method 6
The tracking is performed using correlation techniques applied to successive echo signals
Implementation Method 7
This elastic wave propagation image can thus be used to precisely determine the propagation speed of shear waves in the tissue to be characterized
Data Source
AI summary
An elastography device includes an electronic unit adapted to determine a plurality of measurements of a mechanical property of a region of a body of a subject, the electronic unit being further adapted to receive a cardiac signal relative to a cardiac activity of the subject, wherein at least one measurement of the mechanical property among the plurality of measurements of the mechanical property is determined upon detection of an event relative to the cardiac signal.