Wearable Device Quantifies Tissue Stiffness While Preserving Surgeon’s Sense of Touch

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Image Caption: To use the device, the finger-mounted probe is placed perpendicular to the body and pressed on the tissue while OCT images are recorded. The researchers want to incorporate the sensor into a surgical glove that would preserve touch sensitivity. Credit: Rowan W. Sanderson, University of Western Australia

Tissue Tests

To validate the probe, they began by testing it on materials, known as silicone phantoms, designed to mimic healthy and diseased tissues in the breast. These tests showed that the finger-mounted probe had an accuracy of 87%, which was slightly lower than a conventional benchtop QME system, but still sufficiently high for potential clinical use.

They then used the probe to measure the change in stiffness caused by heating a sample of kangaroo muscle. This experiment showed the muscle sample underwent a 6-fold increase in stiffness following the heating process. A preliminary 2D image was obtained by scanning the probe laterally across a silicone phantom containing a stiff inclusion. Although it showed lower accuracy than the experiment performed without scanning, the researchers say that the prospect for imaging by swiping the operator’s finger is very encouraging. “The contrast between sample features was still evident, which indicates that 2D scanning holds a lot of promise going forward,” said Sanderson.

The researchers are now working to embed the optical components of the probe into a surgical glove that would preserve the touch sensitivity and dexterity of manual palpation. They are also improving the accuracy of the 2D scanning.

This work forms part of a broader project to develop novel tools to improve surgery. The research team has also developed both bench-top and handheld implementations of micro-elastography. In addition to efforts within the University, the team also works closely with OncoRes Medical, a UWA start-up company formed in late 2016 to commercialize the micro-elastography technology.

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