Name: Video: Applying MRI-Safe Marker Patches, Electrode Patches, and Rulers for Electromyometrial Imaging
Uploaded: 2023-05-26T13:40:00
Description: 57 Views. Applying MRI-Safe Marker Patches, Electrode Patches, and Rulers for Electromyometrial Imaging

applying mri-safe marker patches, electrode patches, and rulers for electromyometrial imaging

Visualizing Uterine Contractions by EMMI for Improved Labor Management

Clinically, uterine contractions are measured either by using an intrauterine pressure catheter or by performing tocodynamometry1. In the research setting, uterine contractions can be measured by electromyography (EMG), in which electrodes are placed on the abdominal surface to measure the bioelectrical signals generated by the myometrium2,3,4,5,6,7. One can use the magnitude, frequency, and propagation features of electrical bursts8,9,10,11,12&#160;derived from EMG to predict the onset of labor in the preterm. However, in conventional EMG, the electrical activity of uterine contractions is measured from only a tiny region of the abdominal surface with a limited number of electrodes (two13 and four7,14,15,16 at the center of the abdominal surface, and 6417 at the lower abdominal surface). Furthermore, conventional EMG is limited in its ability to study the mechanisms of labor, as it reflects only the averaged electrical activities from the entire uterus and cannot detect the specific electrical initiation and activation patterns on the uterine surface during contractions.
A recent development called electromyometrial imaging (EMMI) has been introduced to overcome the shortcomings of conventional EMG. EMMI enables noninvasive imaging of the entire myometrium&#39;s electrical activation sequence during uterine contractions18,19,20,21. To acquire the body-uterus geometry, EMMI uses T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)22,23,24, which has been widely used for pregnant women during their second and third trimesters. Next, up to 192 pin-type electrodes placed on the body surface are used to collect electrical recordings from the myometrium. Finally, the EMMI data processing pipeline is performed to combine the body-uterus geometry with the electrical data to reconstruct and image electrical activities on the uterine surface21. EMMI can accurately locate the initiation of uterine contractions and image propagation patterns during uterine contractions in three dimensions. This article aims to present the EMMI procedures and demonstrate the representative results obtained from pregnant women.

Author Spotlight: Advancing Labor Management Through Electromyometrial Imaging for Understanding Uterine Contractions 

Electromyometrial Imaging of Uterine Contractions in Pregnant Women

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Applying MRI-Safe Marker Patches, Electrode Patches, and Rulers for Electromyometrial Imaging   

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Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

57 Views. Applying MRI-Safe Marker Patches, Electrode Patches, and Rulers for Electromyometrial Imaging

Video: Applying MRI-Safe Marker Patches, Electrode Patches, and Rulers for Electromyometrial Imaging   

During normal pregnancy, the uterine smooth muscle, the myometrium, begins to have weak, uncoordinated contractions at late gestation to help the cervix remodel. In labor, the myometrium has strong, coordinated contractions to deliver the fetus. Various methods have been developed to monitor uterine contraction patterns to predict labor onset. However, the current techniques have limited spatial coverage and specificity. We developed electromyometrial imaging (EMMI) to noninvasively map uterine electrical activity onto the three-dimensional uterine surface during contractions. The first step in EMMI is to use T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to acquire the subject-specific body-uterus geometry. Next, up to 192 pin-type electrodes placed on the body surface are used to collect electrical recordings from the myometrium. Finally, the EMMI data processing pipeline is performed to combine the body-uterus geometry with body surface electrical data to reconstruct and image uterine electrical activities on the uterine surface. EMMI can safely and noninvasively image, identify, and measure early activation regions and propagation patterns across the entire uterus in three dimensions.

We present a protocol for conducting electromyometrial imaging (EMMI), including the following procedures: multiple electromyography electrode sensor recordings from the body surface, magnetic resonance imaging, and uterine electrical signal reconstruction.

During normal pregnancy, the uterine smooth muscle, the myometrium, begins to have weak, uncoordinated contractions at late gestation to help the cervix ...