Abstract
Abstract Detection of preterm birth (gestational week < 37) is a global priority as it causes major health problems to neonates. Assessment of uterine contractions (burst) is required to detect and prevent the threat of preterm birth. Uterine electromyography (uEMG) is widely preferred to measure the uterine contractions noninvasively. These signals are nonstationary in nature. It can be handled by topological data analysis (TDA) effectively. Therefore, TDA can be used to explore the characteristics of uEMG burst signals. In this study, an attempt has been made to distinguish term (gestational week ≥ 37) and preterm conditions using timefrequency based topological features in uEMG burst signals. These signals are obtained from the publicly available online dataset. The annotated burst signals are segmented and subjected to a short time Fourier transform. The transformed real and imaginary Fourier coefficients are plotted in the complex plane and the envelope of the data points are computed using the alpha-shape technique. Four topological features such as, area, perimeter, circularity and ellipse variance are extracted. These features are statistically analyzed. The coefficient of variation (CoV) is calculated to measure the inter-subject variations. The results show that the proposed method is able to discriminate between term and preterm conditions. The extracted features namely, area and perimeter exhibit significant difference (p < 0.05) between these two conditions. The CoV of the perimeter is observed to be low, implying that this feature can handle inter-subject variations in burst signals. The extracted topological features are useful to analyze the characteristics of term and preterm pregnancies
Highlights
The steady cyclic pattern of bursts of action potentials followed by a period of quiescence characterizes uterine contractions throughout pregnancy [1]
Uterine Electromyography is a promising noninvasive approach of measuring uterine electrical activity. It has been considered as an important tool for monitoring pregnancy and labor. It provides the information about frequency, duration and intensity of contractions [3]. uEMG can be recorded from 19th weeks of gestation and has the potential to detect the transition of uterine muscles from pregnancy to labor state
The amplitude of uEMG signals in preterm conditions is higher compared to term conditions in whole uEMG signals
Summary
The steady cyclic pattern of bursts of action potentials followed by a period of quiescence characterizes uterine contractions throughout pregnancy [1]. The propagation of electrical activity in the muscle cells of the uterus causes these contractions. The transfer of electrical activity causes the mechanical contraction in the uterine muscle cells. Analysis of these bursts provides useful information related to the underlying physiological process and aids in the early diagnosis of labor [2]. Uterine Electromyography (uEMG) is a promising noninvasive approach of measuring uterine electrical activity. It has been considered as an important tool for monitoring pregnancy and labor. It provides the information about frequency, duration and intensity of contractions [3]. Analysis of uterine burst signals can provide information about predicting the preterm birth and the commencement of labor
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