Volumetric Electromagnetic Phase-Shift Spectroscopy of Brain Edema and Hematoma

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 5; p. e63223
• Main Authors: Gonzalez, Cesar A., Valencia, Jose A., Mora, Alfredo, Gonzalez, Fernando, Velasco, Beatriz, Porras, Martin A., Salgado, Javier, Polo, Salvador M., Hevia-Montiel, Nidiyare, Cordero, Sergio, Rubinsky, Boris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 14.05.2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biology; Brain; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - pathology; Brain injuries; Brain injury; Brain research; Case-Control Studies; Cerebral edema; Change detection; Classifiers; Computed tomography; Data analysis; Data processing; Diagnosis, Differential; Diagnostic systems; Dielectric properties; Edema; Edema - diagnosis; Edema - diagnostic imaging; Edema - pathology; Electric Conductivity; Electromagnetic Phenomena; Electromagnetism; Engineering; Feasibility studies; Female; Frequency ranges; Head injuries; Health services; Hematoma; Hematoma - diagnosis; Hematoma - diagnostic imaging; Hematoma - pathology; Hemorrhage; Hospitals; Humans; Information management; Ischemia; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medical imaging; Medical imaging equipment; Medical technology; Medicine; Middle Aged; Neuroimaging; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Patients; Phase shift; Pilot Projects; Population (statistical); Radiology; Significance; Spectroscopy; Spectrum Analysis; Statistical analysis; Statistical significance; Statistics; Technology; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Young Adult; United States > US; California
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063223

Motivated by the need of poor and rural Mexico, where the population has limited access to advanced medical technology and services, we have developed a new paradigm for medical diagnostic based on the technology of "Volumetric Electromagnetic Phase Shift Spectroscopy" (VEPS), as an inexpensive partial substitute to medical imaging. VEPS, can detect changes in tissue properties inside the body through non-contact, multi-frequency electromagnetic measurements from the exterior of the body, and thereby provide rapid and inexpensive diagnostics in a way that is amenable for use in economically disadvantaged parts of the world. We describe the technology and report results from a limited pilot study with 46 healthy volunteers and eight patients with CT radiology confirmed brain edema and brain hematoma. Data analysis with a non-parametric statistical Mann-Whitney U test, shows that in the frequency range of from 26 MHz to 39 MHz, VEPS can distinguish non-invasively and without contact, with a statistical significance of p<0.05, between healthy subjects and those with a medical conditions in the brain. In the frequency range of between 153 MHz to 166 MHz it can distinguish with a statistical significance of p<0.05 between subjects with brain edema and those with a hematoma in the brain. A classifier build from measurements in these two frequency ranges can provide instantaneous diagnostic of the medical condition of the brain of a patient, from a single set of measurements. While this is a small-scale pilot study, it illustrates the potential of VEPS to change the paradigm of medical diagnostic of brain injury through a VEPS classifier-based technology. Obviously substantially larger-scale studies are needed to verify and expand on the findings in this small pilot study.