Diagnosis of elderly pneumonia patients using a parametric electrical impedance tomography system – a preliminary study
by M. Arad, A. Adunsky, S. Zlochiver, S. Abboud, T. Davidson
International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics (IJMEI), Vol. 2, No. 4, 2010

Abstract: The early diagnosis and monitoring of pneumonia in the elderly patients is essential for decreasing mortality and avoiding disease deterioration. In this work we examined the feasibility of a novel bioimpedance system to diagnose this common respiratory disease. Nine diseased and 12 control patients were measured for the left and right lung resistivity using a parametric electrical impedance tomography (p-EIT) algorithm. A statistically significant difference in the average lung resistivity between the two groups was found (913 ± 211 vs. 1,141 ± 166 Ω cm, for the pneumonia and control groups, respectively), demonstrating the classification capabilities of the technique. A clear correspondence between the lungs with the lower resistivity to the side of pneumonia was also demonstrated. We conclude that the bioimpedance measurement technique, together with the principles of impedance tomography as manifested in our p-EIT system, are a valid modality for pneumonia diagnosis in the elderly population.

Online publication date: Mon, 01-Nov-2010

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