A Flexible Sensor System Using Resonance Technology for Soft Tissue Stiffness Measurements –Evaluation on Silicone

Abstract

One of the most common forms of cancer among men in Europe and the United States is prostate cancer. The cancerous tissue is less soft, and has different biomechanical properties compared to healthy tissue. It has been shown that tactile sensors can be used to distinguish this difference. If a piezoelectric sensor is set to oscillate at its resonance frequency through a feed back circuit, a frequency shift is observed when the sensor comes in contact with a surface. This shift can be correlated to the stiffness of the tissue. A flexible instrument has been developed, with which it is possible to scan both flat and spherical bodies and where the sensor can be tilted to have different contact angles. Measurements performed in this study on flat silicone discs of different stiffness showed a relationship between both the frequency shift and the impression depth for the different silicone discs, when a constant force was applied. The results are promising for future studies on silicone with different geometries and finally on prostate tissue to complete the evaluation.