Structural Identifiability of Impedance Spectroscopy Fractional-Order Equivalent Circuit Models With Two Constant Phase Elements

Structural identifiability analysis of fractional-order equivalent circuit models (FO-ECMs), obtained through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is still a challenging problem. No peer-reviewed analytical or numerical proof does exist showing that whether impedance spectroscopy FO-ECMs are structurally identifiable or not, regardless of practical issues such as measurement noises and the selection of excitation signals. By using the coefficient mapping technique, this paper proposes novel computationally-efficient algebraic equations for the numerical structural identifiability analysis of a widely used FO-ECM with Gr\"{u}nwald-Letnikov fractional derivative approximation and two constant phase elements (CPEs) including the Warburg term. The proposed numerical structural identifiability analysis method is applied to an example from batteries, and the results are discussed. Matlab codes are available on github

Bioimpedance Sensing and Ablation Needles for Image-Guided Therapy

Sensing and ablation needles and catheter instruments combined with multimodal imaging, navigation and AI-assisted diagnosis have been increasingly utilised by interventional radiologists for image-guided therapy, emerging as an innovative tool for both diagnosis and treatment. This paper reviews the significant advancements in the field over the past decade, focusing on the development and refinement of both bioimpedance sensing needles and thermal ablation needles. Bioimpedance sensing needles differentiate pathological tissues by measuring impedance variations in biological tissues, offering a less invasive diagnostic approach. Thermal ablation needles, on the other hand, employ Radio Frequency (RF) techniques or Electrolytic Ablation (EA) to effectively target and treat lesions. This review covers the evolution of these needles, including advancements in materials, novel sensor technologies, impedance analysis methods, ablation catheter powering techniques, and needle design. It also provides insights into the needle structure, fabrication methods, and testing outcomes of these advanced sensing and ablation needles. Additionally, the paper presents an analysis of bioimpedance data across various pathological tissues and discusses innovative impedance analysis methodologies. The review concludes by presenting the current challenges in the field and discussing directions for future research, thereby providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in electronic technology for medical diagnosis and treatment needles

A microscopic electrical impedance sensor array for precise tissue delineation

Proposed research object aims to develop and implement the novel imaging technique to delineate tissue boundaries based on electrical impedance of tissues.M.S

Development of a novel probe integrated with a micro-structured impedance sensor for the detection of breast cancer

The work described in this thesis focuses on the development of an innovative bioimpedance device for the detection of breast cancer using electrical impedance as the detection method. The ability for clinicians to detect and treat cancerous lesions as early as possible results in improved patient outcomes and can reduce the severity of the treatment the patient has to undergo. Therefore, new technology and devices are continually required to improve the specificity and sensitivity of the accepted detection methods. The gold standard for breast cancer detection is digital x-ray mammography but it has some significant downsides associated with it. The development of an adjunct technology to aid in the detection of breast cancers could represent a significant patient and economic benefit. In this project silicon substrates were pattern with two gold microelectrodes that allowed electrical impedance measurements to be recorded from intact tissue structures. These probes were tested and characterised using a range of in vitro and ex vivo experiments. The end application of this novel sensor device was in a first-in-human clinical trial. The initial results of this study showed that the silicon impedance device was capable of differentiating between normal and abnormal (benign and cancerous) breast tissue. The mean separation between the two tissue types 4,340 Ω with p < 0.001. The cancer type and grade at the site of the probe recordings was confirmed histologically and correlated with the electrical impedance measurements to determine if the different subtypes of cancer could each be differentiated. The results presented in this thesis showed that the novel impedance device demonstrated excellent electrochemical recording potential; was biocompatible with the growth of cultured cell lines and was capable of differentiating between intact biological tissues. The results outlined in this thesis demonstrate the potential feasibility of using electrical impedance for the differentiation of biological tissue samples. The novelty of this thesis is in the development of a new method of tissue determination with an application in breast cancer detection

Development and clinical application of impedance pneumography technique

Assessment of the lung function is essential in the diagnosis and management of respiratory disease such as asthma. However, conventional spirometry requires difficult manoeuvres from the subject and is thus unsuitable for young children and infants. This renders the diagnosis of childhood asthma often qualitative, time-consuming and clinically challenging. However, information relating to the lung function can be derived from restful tidal breathing (TB) as well. Traditionally TB has been recorded in short intervals in laboratory conditions with obtrusive instrumentation using a face mask or a mouth piece. The principal aim of this thesis was to develop a noninvasive and convenient, yet highly accurate method for recording TB over extended time periods for clinical purposes, especially in young children. The measurement methodology developed within this thesis is based on impedance pneumography (IP), where breathing is recorded through the respiratory variations of the electrical impedance of the thorax. This is established by placing four skin electrodes on the upper body and connecting them to a recording device. The main focus was in ensuring the accuracy of the IP-derived tidal flow recording as compared to direct measurement from the mouth. This was established by attenuating the distortive cardiac oscillations (CGO) of the impedance signal and by optimising the locations of the skin electrodes. The complete method was then validated in healthy adults during respiratory loading (n=17) and in preschool children with wheezing disorder (n=20). The CGO attenuation was realised through an ensemble averaging based signal processing algorithm. The algorithm takes into account the respiratory modulation of the CGO waveform thus enabling efficient CGO attenuation while preserving the respiratory component of the signal unchanged. The newly proposed electrode configuration provides consistently more linear impedance to lung volume ratio than those previously established in the literature. The complete method integrating these developments provided highly accurate TB flow signal during normal and altered respiratory mechanics (loading) in adults and during induced bronchoconstriction in young children. It may be concluded that in this thesis significant improvements were realised with the IP technique. These improvements were experimentally validated in two studies and the integrated system was found to consistently provide an accurate respiratory flow signal. The method may have clinical implications for the diagnosis of respiratory diseases especially in non-cooperative subjects, such as young children