Electromagnetic simulation of non-invasive approach for the diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers are systemic diseases that affect all blood vessels within the human body. From major blood vessels to microvasculature, hardening, thickening, and narrowing of blood vessels ultimately results to diminished blood flow to end organs. The detrimental effects of peripheral vascular disease are well recognized across medicine, particularly with regards to diabetic foot ulcers. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are common across all fields of medicine, including but not limited to: orthopedics, vascular surgery, podiatry, general internal medicine, and infectious disease. As the population of the United States continues to grow in age and obesity, diabetes and DFU are becoming more and more prevalent in our medical society. Current approaches to diagnosing peripheral vascular disease ultimately result in some degree of invasiveness for the patient. Preliminary lab studies, such as the ankle-brachial index and Doppler ultrasound of peripheral arteries, provide efficient safe screening methods. However, these studies lack quantification of the degree of vascular stenosis and are unable to accurately assess the location of narrowing. In current practice, radiologists are called upon to for angiography of the blood vessels using contrast dye. This provides an additional risk for diabetic patients: a population inherently at risk for renal disease. In this study, we proposed utilizing electromagnetic simulation with boundary conditions set at various layers of human tissues. More specifically, the human foot was analyzed using COMSOL multi-physics software in attempt to visualize, analyze, and quantify the degree of peripheral vascular disease, which plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetic foot ulcers. The simulation was conducted for a patient's foot, with bone, blood vessels, and surrounding fat layers to emulate the anatomy of a diabetic foot. A 2-D scan was obtained to assess and visualize the blood vessel's narrowing, widening, vascular turbulence, or occlusion. The analysis was conducted at two frequencies, 2 GHz and 5 GHz, and compared to one another to assess the accuracy of clinical diagnosis. An electric field was generated throughout the 2D model at 20, 50, and 100 Joules, respectively. The simulation was able to adequately predict and stratify varying degrees of occlusion within peripheral vasculature. This study, though a simulation in nature, shows promise for being able to accurately diagnose the peripheral vasculature using electromagnetic parameters. This feasibility study proved successful for possible future implementation using MEMS/NEMS device systems to be designed to detect EM parameters to serve as a diagnostic tool for the early detection of peripheral vascular disease, and ultimately, diabetic foot ulcers.