The overall goal of this project would be to develop an innovative, full- length, fiberoptic esophageal pressure monitoring instrument. This device would contribute to improved health-care by offering significantly enhanced performance and lower cost over current methods of characterizing pathological behavior of the esophagus and related organs. The immediate goals of the Phase I project would be to demonstrate the feasibility of modifying an existing fiberoptic pressure sensor technology for this new medical application, and to demonstrate a 230-channel laboratory prototype of a pressure measurement system capable of monitoring the full length of the esophagus. The specific tasks to be performed in Phase I would be: (1) preliminary design of the pressure sensor, (2) sensor material selection and evaluation, (3) fabrication of the pressure sensor, (4) data processing software development, and (5) evaluation of the esophageal pressure sensor system utilizing an artificial organ. The potential of this research for commercialization is considered to be high, as it directly addresses the needs of gastrointestinal specialists, hospitals, and medical research centers for a versatile, convenient, and low-cost system for manometric characterization of the esophagus.
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