Loading...
Determination of a Clinically Relevant Tissue Phantom for Transcutaneous Ultrasound Stimulation of Piezoelectric Discs for Current Density Applications
Norman, Anna K
Norman, Anna K
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
Ventral hernia repairs, one of the most common surgeries, have a recurrence rate ranging from 24-43% even with the use of a prosthetic mesh. Over 1 million Americans will undergo a hernia repair surgery each year according to the FDA [1]. The number of surgeries and recurrences leads to a burden of an estimated $700 million annually for U.S. hospitals [2, 3]. Many of these complications related to the surgery are a result of poor healing and mesh failure. Many patients report chronic abdominal pain, mesh erosion, and mesh migration [4, 5]. The research solution proposed and ongoing is an electrically active hernia repair mesh. The electrical stimulation generator will consist of a piezoelectric disc connected to a circuit and fully encapsulated in medical grade silicone. The piezoelectric discs will be mechanically stimulated by therapeutic ultrasound through the layers of skin, fat, and muscle. Therapeutic ultrasound has been the chosen mode for mechanical loading as it is readily available and a medically safe application. Previous research has shown therapeutic ultrasound successful in the mechanical stimulation of piezoelectric discs [6]. The use of tissue phantoms is common in imaging ultrasound studies but has not been used in the research of stimulating piezoelectric discs with ultrasound. By comparing the power and voltage output of the same PZT disc with different tissue phantoms the effect of the tissue phantom type on the ultrasound stimulation can be examined. Therefore, the different types of tissue phantoms attenuation and speed of sound difference can be compared to that of porcine tissue to achieve a more clinically relevant tissue phantom for a specific application use. A thickness of 40 mm was chosen based on literature on abdominal wall thickness of hernia repair patients. It was determined that a phantom using Humimic® medical gelatin #0 with the combination of a fiber supplement (Metamucil®) was a reusable phantom that allowed for similar voltage output at a resistance of one kiloohm (the expected electrical resistance of muscle). The determined phantom can be utilized with the single piezoelectric disc for future studies to advance research for an electrically active hernia repair mesh.
Description
Date
2021-12-31
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Kansas
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Biomedical engineering, Electrical, Phantom, Piezoelectric, Stimulation, Tissue, Ultrasound