Softness measurement system for biological object by using balloon catheter

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Saito, Sho^a | Okuyama, Takeshi^b | Tanaka, Mami^a;

Affiliations: [a] Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan | [b] Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Mami Tanaka, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-04, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579, Japan. Tel./Fax: +81 22 795 5879; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Elucidating causes of infertility is important to conduct proper treatment for infertility. Mechanical characteristics of the endometrium may be mentioned as a cause of infertility. In this paper, we focus on softness of the endometrium. As a fundamental research for the softness measurement of the endometrium, we developed a system for measuring softness of cylindrical objects by using a balloon catheter. The measurement system is composed of a balloon catheter, a syringe and a pressure sensor. Young’s modulus of cylindrical objects is calculated from balloon radius and internal pressure when the balloon is expanded in the object. In the experiment, we prepared four kinds of cylindrical samples with different softness. By using the measurement system, Young’s modulus of each cylindrical sample is estimated. And the estimated values are compared with Young’s modulus measured by compression test. From the results, it was found that the developed system is effective for measuring softness of cylindrical objects.

Keywords: Balloon catheter, young’s modulus, measurement, softness

DOI: 10.3233/JAE-171135

Journal: International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 1127-1134, 2019