Vanderbilt University Department of Biomedical Engineering Device for Quantification of Re-Innervation of a Laryngeal Muscle Advisor: Dr. David Zealear Designers: Thomas Thomasson and Nirav Patel February 25, 2000
Background What ?- Development of a design and technique for the quantitative measurement of a re-innervated laryngeal muscle Why ?- To increase quality of life for patients suffering from denervated muscular system Who ? - Patients that have lost muscle control through paralysis of laryngeal muscles (estimates of 15,000/yr)
Background Cont... How ?- Recording EMG readings passes through the developed circuitry while tactile stimulation of the nerves is performed Analysis? -Integrated recordings over time show degree of re-innervation and muscle fiber reconstruction counts
Objectives To Measure electromyographical potentials using electrodes. To establish an index of synkinesis that compares pathological nerve re-innervation to normal nerve alignment To use index of synkinesis to determine severity of pathology. To measure muscle fiber bundles that have been re-innervated (secondary measurement of paralysis severity)
Circuit Bandpass Filter Removes DC noise and high frequency AC noise Cutoff frequency of 1 Hz and 1000 Hz Rectifier Returns absolute value of input Integrator Calculates area under input curve Peak Detector Holds maximum value from the integrator
High Pass Filter Cutoff frequency of 100 Hz Removes DC Voltage entering Circuit
Low Pass Filter Cutoff frequency of 100K Hz
Full Wave Precision Rectifier Positive Wave Rectifier: Vout = Vin Diodes Act Linearly in Feedback Loop
Integrator Integrates the Rectified Wave Over Time by the equation: Vout = -1/(Rf Cf ) Vin dt
Peak Detector Holds the Maximum Positive Output from the Integrator
Current Work Finish Debugging Integrator After Consulting Dr. Galloway and Dr. Massengill A digital output meter will be bought to be added to the circuitry as a final output source Development of index of synkinesis through statistical analysis upon completion of canine experiments DesignSafe has been begun; consultation with Sebastien Daleyden and Vincent Goussen on Monday
Future Work Hard-wiring will begin after circuit passes initial test Calculations for timing sequences of tactile stimulation will be discussed with Dr. Zealear Testing of circuit with control canine experiments
References Farmer, Stephen and Douglass Hay. The Airway Epithelium. Vol 55. Marcel Decker, New York: 1991. Dworkin, James and Robert Meleca. Vocal Pathologies. Singular Publishing, San Diego: 1997. Michaels, L. Pathology of the Larynx. Springer-Verlag, Great Britain: 1984.