Evaluation of the use of frequency response in the diagnosis of pleural effusion on a phantom model of the human lungs.

Abstract

Pleural effusion is one of the most widespread respiratory diseases in the world. Current diagnostic techniques include a combination of medical history and x-ray or CT scan imaging of the chest. However, these techniques are expensive and impractical in resource limited settings. We propose a new method based on sound transmission into the respiratory system through the chest wall. To evaluate this technique, a sine sweep signal with a frequency range between 100 Hz and 1000 Hz was transmitted into a phantom model of the human lungs capable of simulating healthy and effused conditions. The frequency response of the model under both conditions was computed and compared to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the new method. The results indicate that there is a significant difference between the frequency response of healthy and effused lungs, which suggests that the new technique may be suitable for the clinical diagnosis of pleural effusion.