Experimental Demonstration of Microwave Bladder Fullness Detection with 3-D Pelvic Model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Urinary incontinence affects millions, necessitating improved monitoring tools.
• Current methods for bladder monitoring can be invasive or inconvenient.
• Non-invasive microwave (MW) sensing offers a promising alternative for bladder state detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of using microwave technology for differentiating between a full and empty bladder.
• To develop and validate a realistic pelvic phantom for testing MW bladder sensing systems.
• To establish a novel experimental testbed for optimizing MW bladder sensing technologies.

Main Methods:

• A life-sized, anatomically accurate pelvic phantom was 3D-printed.
• The phantom was filled with a tissue-mimicking background material.
• Two antennas were placed on the phantom's surface to measure S-parameters for both full and empty bladder conditions.

Main Results:

• The study successfully demonstrated the differentiation of full and empty bladder states using MW signals.
• The developed pelvic phantom provided a realistic environment for experimental testing.
• S-parameter measurements showed distinct differences between the two bladder states.

Conclusions:

• Microwave sensing shows significant potential for non-invasive bladder volume assessment.
• The developed experimental testbed is crucial for future research and optimization of MW bladder sensing.
• This technology could greatly benefit individuals managing urinary incontinence.