Apparatus for and method of motility and peristalsis monitoring
DCFirst Claim
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1. Apparatus for monitoring motility and/or peristalsis in a tubular organ which transports its contents, comprising:
- a catheter sized to fit within the tubular organ,a plurality of electrodes positioned along the outside of the catheter in electrical contact with the organ at longitudinally displaced points there along,first channel means for measuring the impedance of the organ between a pair of said electrodes;
a plurality of additional channel means for making multiple, substantially simultaneous impedance measurements between electrode pairs representing the impedance of the organ at longitudinally displaced positions along the organ; and
means for indicating the longitudinal displacement along the organ of impedance measurements made by the plurality of channel means which are characteristic of peristaltic content transport.
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Abstract
A catheter for measuring motility and peristalsis in tubular organs that transport their contents by simultaneous, multiple impedance measurements includes an insulating plastic tube, conductive annular electrodes and interior channels for electrode leads. The electrodes also serve for biosignal detection and electrical stimulation of the organ being measured. The interior channels may be used to stiffen the catheter during use, remove sample materials from the organ for analysis and/or introduce substances to the organ such as a contrast medium.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. Apparatus for monitoring motility and/or peristalsis in a tubular organ which transports its contents, comprising:
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a catheter sized to fit within the tubular organ, a plurality of electrodes positioned along the outside of the catheter in electrical contact with the organ at longitudinally displaced points there along, first channel means for measuring the impedance of the organ between a pair of said electrodes; a plurality of additional channel means for making multiple, substantially simultaneous impedance measurements between electrode pairs representing the impedance of the organ at longitudinally displaced positions along the organ; and means for indicating the longitudinal displacement along the organ of impedance measurements made by the plurality of channel means which are characteristic of peristaltic content transport. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. The method of monitoring motility and/or peristalsis in a tubular organ, comprising the steps of:
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making multiple, substantially simultaneous, longitudinally displaced measurements of the impedance of a peristaltic tubular organ along a catheter positioned within the organ; and indicating the longitudinal displacement along the organ of such impedance measurements which are characteristic of peristaltic content transport in the organ. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. An improved organ monitoring process of the type in which multiple channel impedance measurements are made with a multiple electrode catheter in the organ, wherein he improvement comprises the step of:
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making multiple, substantially simultaneous impedance measurements representing organ impedance at longitudinally displaced positions there along; and indicating the relative longitudinal displacement of such measurements which are characteristic of peristaltic content transport therein. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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7. An improved organ monitoring system of the type in which a multiple electrode catheter in the organ is used to make multiple channel impedance measurements at longitudinally displaced positions there along, wherein the improvement comprises:
means for indicating the relative longitudinal displacement along the organ of substantially simultaneous measurements which are characteristic of peristaltic content transport in he organ. - View Dependent Claims (8)
Specification