论文和技术资料

The quantitative value of electrical bio impedance in tissue structures is sensitive to changes in ionic concentration, frequency and dispersion but lacks specificity. It is difficult to a create a physical measurement set up of clinical value capable of quantifying the contribution of each of the tissue structures such as fat, skin, muscle, bone to overall impedance of a biological system. Building simulation models to simulate the impact of changes in tissue conductivity on overall impedance can help compensate for the lack of specificity.

However, developing simulation models replicating the electrical properties of biological systems is a tedious process. It requires switching between CAD tools and Finite Element Analysis software. This paper describes a simplistic model of human thorax composed of different tissue structures created and analyzed entirely using COMSOL Multiphysics^® simulation software. This allows biomedical engineers to rapidly test a hypothesis before investing time in developing or procuring a precise model, thus saving them time and resources.

In this paper we discuss creating a geometric model of human thorax composed of different tissue structures using the Electric Currents interface in the AC/DC Module in COMSOL. This COMSOL model is then used to solve the forward problem of determining tissue conductivity in electrical impedance tomography. The contribution of each of the tissue structures is computed and quantified using the parameters of sensitivity and volume impedance density. The results establishing the validity of the model are discussed.