Computational Modelling of Probe Configurations for Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy-based Differentiation of Thyroid and Parathyroid Tissues

Matella, Malwina; Walker, Dawn C.; Hunter, Keith

doi:10.1109/memea57477.2023.10171880

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Moreover, uncertainties in the electrical material properties of various cellular and tissue components, which were not investigated in this study, could have added to the observed discrepancies, as discussed in a previous publication [21]. Finally, a previous investigation of the accuracy in the EIS measurements on small structures, such as the parathyroid glands, acquired with the tetrapolar ZedScan TM probe, revealed that probe/parathyroid misalignment could significantly reduce this gland's impedance in the low-frequency region when compared to a symmetrical and precise measurement [42], which could also potentially explain the observed discrepancies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

The Use of Virtual Tissue Constructs That Include Morphological Variability to Assess the Potential of Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy to Differentiate between Thyroid and Parathyroid Tissues during Surgery

Matella,

Hunter,

Balasubramanian

et al. 2024

Sensors

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Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been proposed as a promising noninvasive method to differentiate healthy thyroid from parathyroid tissues during thyroidectomy. However, previously reported similarities in the in vivo measured spectra of these tissues during a pilot study suggest that this separation may not be straightforward. We utilise computational modelling as a method to elucidate the distinguishing characteristics in the EIS signal and explore the features of the tissue that contribute to the observed electrical behaviour. Firstly, multiscale finite element models (or ‘virtual tissue constructs’) of thyroid and parathyroid tissues were developed and verified against in vivo tissue measurements. A global sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the impact of physiological micro-, meso- and macroscale tissue morphological features of both tissue types on the computed macroscale EIS spectra and explore the separability of the two tissue types. Our results suggest that the presence of a surface fascia layer could obstruct tissue differentiation, but an analysis of the separability of simulated spectra without the surface fascia layer suggests that differentiation of the two tissue types should be possible if this layer is completely removed by the surgeon. Comprehensive in vivo measurements are required to fully determine the potential for EIS as a method in distinguishing between thyroid and parathyroid tissues.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%