Hilbert–Huang transform in detecting and analyzing the uterine contraction activities

Abstract

Results:After comparing the IUPC and other mother-perceived contraction (STIM) datasets with HHT results, we were able to visually detect contraction locations in the HHT-processed uterine signals. For verification and validation purposes, when we further analyzed the delay time between two signals, the mechanical activity (i.e., IUPC) following the electrical activity (i.e., magnetic signal) was observed. In conclusion, our experimentations using the method introduced here revealed that there is a 75% correlation between the results obtained by HHT and IUPC data. Conclusion:This study compared uterine contractions and changes in the intrauterine pressure with results obtained by HHT. In addition, using IUPC data as a validation guide, we showed that the HHT approach can be used for noise removal. There is a need for time-saving and non-subjective automatic contraction detection in the field of prenatal examination. (J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc 2015; 16: 195-202)