Reconfigurable EIM Probe for Non-Invasive Muscle Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing and diagnosing neuromuscular diseases are unreliable, subjective, and often painful, with limitations in evaluating muscle disease progression and disuse atrophy, particularly due to invasive procedures and lack of quantitative results.
Innovation Solution
The development of a non-invasive electrical impedance myography (EIM) technique that applies electrical signals to muscle tissue at various orientations and frequencies to measure impedance, resistance, and reactance, using a hand-held device with a reconfigurable electrode array to provide quantitative and painless assessments of muscle health.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If needle electromyography is used to assess muscle conditions, then muscle evaluation can be performed, but the procedure is painful and invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical needle insertion method with an electrical field-based measurement system. Surface electrodes apply electrical signals to the skin overlying the muscle, and impedance measurements are taken through the skin without any mechanical penetration, thereby eliminating pain and invasion while maintaining muscle assessment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces skin impedance as an intermediary parameter that reflects underlying muscle conditions. Instead of directly measuring muscle electrical activity through invasive needles, the system measures the electrical impedance of the skin-tissue interface, which serves as a non-invasive proxy for muscle health status
2Reliability
If needle electromyography is used for muscle assessment, then muscle conditions can be evaluated, but the results are subjective and lack quantification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective visual assessment of motor unit potentials with objective electrical impedance measurements. The system automatically measures impedance values at multiple frequencies and orientations, providing quantitative data that can be objectively analyzed and compared against reference values, eliminating the subjectivity inherent in needle EMG interpretation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent measures multiple electrical parameters including impedance magnitude, phase angle, and frequency-dependent characteristics. By changing the measurement parameters (frequency, orientation, amplitude) and analyzing how impedance varies with these parameters, the system obtains objective, quantifiable data that precisely characterizes muscle condition without relying on subjective interpretation
3Reliability
If conventional assessment methods are used, then initial diagnosis can be made, but disease progression and disuse atrophy cannot be reliably monitored
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous monitoring by repeatedly measuring impedance values over time and comparing them against each other and against reference ranges. This feedback mechanism allows detection of changes in muscle condition, including disease progression or response to treatment, as well as detection of disuse atrophy, providing longitudinal quantitative data that supports monitoring capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system measures multiple electrical parameters (impedance magnitude, phase angle, frequency response) that change with muscle condition. By tracking changes in these parameters over time, the system can objectively monitor disease progression or recovery, providing quantitative sensitivity that conventional methods lack
4Reliability
If NCSs are used to evaluate neuromuscular conditions, then nerve pathology can be assessed, but muscle disease and disuse states cannot be adequately evaluated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal measurement system that can assess both nerve and muscle conditions through a single non-invasive platform. By measuring impedance at multiple frequencies and orientations through surface electrodes, the system can detect patterns characteristic of nerve pathology, muscle disease, and disuse atrophy, making it adaptable to various neuromuscular conditions without requiring separate specialized tests
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
EIM offers rapid, reliable, and repeatable measurements that can differentiate between normal and abnormal muscle tissue, monitor disease progression, and assess muscle conditions non-invasively, improving diagnostic accuracy and patient comfort.
Implementation Method 1
applies electrical signals to muscle tissue at various orientations and frequencies to measure impedance, resistance, and reactance
Data Source
AI summary
A device for determining muscle condition of a region of tissue. The device comprises an electrical impedance myography (EIM) portable probe bearing an electrode array. The electrode array comprises excitation electrodes used to apply multi-frequency electrical signals to the region of tissue and pickup electrodes that are used to collect electrical signals resulting from the application of the multi-frequency electrical signals to the region of tissue. To improve accuracy and reproducibility of EIM measurements, the electrode array is reconfigurable to select different subsets of excitation and pickup electrodes so that the electrodes are oriented differently with respect to muscle fibers. Additional devices may be associated with the EIM probe to measure such parameters as temperature, moisture content of the region, quality of contact of electrodes of the electrode array with a surface of the region and pressure with which the EIM probe is applied to the region. The EIM measurements may be adjusted based on these parameters. Also, ultrasound and electrical impedance tomography measurements may supplement the EIM measurements for more complete analysis of the muscle condition.