Intelligent Syringe for Porous Tissue Characterization Using Advanced Darcy Flow Pressure Transient Analysis

Abstract

An instrumented “intelligent syringe” for tissue properties prediction is described. The syringe records pressure transients created while injecting or withdrawing fluid from tissue at given flow rates. Dynamic data is interpreted using computer-based porous media math models to predict permeability, anisotropy, compressibility, background pressure and porosity. The new method provides direct measurements of flow properties important to drug delivery, clinical diagnosis, disease control, synthetic organ design and research endeavors. The approach conveniently, rapidly and inexpensively supplements conventional methods like X-ray, Catscan, MRI and ultrasound, which offer qualitative results through gray scale images requiring physician dependent and subjective analysis. The “iSyringe” supports portable target monitoring on daily or weekly bases; it provides local quantitative information useful in understanding global qualitative results obtained from traditional methods. The theoretical foundations of the method are derived, validated mathematically, and applied to published human and animal data, highlighting potential clinical and research applications.