Method and a device for recording mechanical oscillations in soft biological tissues

• US 6,132,385 A
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Myoton AS
• Original Assignee: University of Tartu
• Inventors: Vain, Arved
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): SZMAL, BRIAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US09/155,219
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 600/553, 128/782, 128/739
• US Class Current: 600/553
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 9/005 Electric apparatus for detecting reflex action, e.g. monitoring depth of anaesthesia detection of movements A61B5/11

Abstract

The method and device for recording mechanical oscillations in soft biological tissues consists of the following: biological tissue is mechanically influenced by means of the testing end (6) of the device and its mechanical responses are subsequently recorded as a graph representing the evoked oscillations. Prior to that, an inflexible plane means (12) is fastened onto the biological tissue in order to designate the area under investigation and connect the testing end with the tissue, causing no harm to the latter. After that the testing end will be inflexibly connected with the inflexible plane means for the time period it takes to influence the tissue mechanically and record its mechanical response. The device consists of a frame (1), a pivotable double-armed lever (2), an electromechanical transducer (3), a shutter (4), a grip, an electromechanical pickup (5), a testing end (6), a pivot (7), a testing end driver (8, 9), a control switch (11), a control panel (10), and an inflexible plane means (12) for marking on the tissue the area under investigation and for connecting the testing end with the tissue permanently and inflexibly, causing no harm to the biological tissue. The length of the testing end (6) is adjustable by means of, for instance, a bayonet joint.

Claims

1. Method of recording mechanical damped natural oscillations of soft biological tissues of a tissue-bearing subject via exerting on the soft biological tissue an external mechanical impact at a testing end and subsequently recording the mechanical response of the biological tissue as a graph of damped natural oscillations of the tissue, wherein:

before exerting the external mechanical impact on the biological tissue at the testing end, an inflexible plane means is fastened onto the biological tissue in order to mark the tissue area under investigation and to facilitate the connection of the testing end with the tissue in a manner that prevents the testing end from harming the tissue,

thereafter the testing end is inflexibly connected to the inflexible plane means over a duration sufficient for influencing the tissue mechanically and for recording the mechanical response of the biological tissue, and

thereafter an external mechanical impact is applied to the tissue under investigation over a duration of some milliseconds, ending with rapid cessation of the impact, whereby the following are avoided;

harm to the biological tissue;

changes in metabolic processes of the tissue; and

neurological reactions of the tissue under investigation.

2. A device for recording natural oscillations of soft biological tissues of a tissue-bearing subject, the device including a frame with a grip, a pivoting double-armed lever with an electromechanical transducer and shutter, all attached to the frame, an electromechanical pickup, a testing end, a testing end drive that includes a pivot, and a switch for controlling the measuring process and a recorder, wherein:

said device further comprises an inflexible plane means for marking the area under investigation and for facilitating the connection of the testing end of the device to the tissue, permanently and inflexibly, in a manner that avoids causing;

harm to the biological tissue;

changes in metabolic processes of the tissue; and

neurological reactions of the tissue-bearing subject under investigation; and

said device is adapted to measure said natural oscillations in the absence of voluntary muscular contraction in the tissue-bearing subject.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the length of the testing end is adjustable, said device further comprising an element for ensuring that the mass of the testing end remains constant during adjustment.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said element comprises a bayonet joint.