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Vaginal Tactile Imager for Pelvic Floor Biomechanical Assessment

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: National Institutes of Health
Contract: 2R44AG034714-02
Agency Tracking Number: R44AG034714
Amount: $972,686.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: NIA
Solicitation Number: PA10-050
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2011
Award Year: 2011
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
1459 LOWER FERRY RD
TRENTON, NJ -
United States
DUNS: 959147026
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: Yes
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 VLADIMIR EGOROV
 (609) 883-0010
 vegorov@artannlabs.com
Business Contact
 NOUNE SARVAXYAN
Phone: (512) 996-8565
Email: nsarvaz@artannlabs.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Pelvic organ prolapse is a highly prevalent condition affecting at least 50% of women in the US during their lifetimes. Some loss of utero-vaginal support occurs in most adult women; however, the true etiology of prolapse and differences seen among individuals is not entirely understood. Changes in the elasticity of the vaginal walls, connective support tissues and muscles are thought to be significant factors in the development of pelvic organ prolapse. We propose to develop a device entitled Vaginal Tactile Imager (VTI) for 3-D visualization and assessment of mechanical properties of pelvic floor tissues. VTI is based on the Tactile Imaging (TI) technology based on principles similar to those of manual palpation. In Phase I we designed and build 1- prototype of VTI with tactile sensor array and a motion tracking sensor, tested the training procedure with the phantoms and initiated the clinical development study with 30 patients to optimize the VTI, examination procedure,data processing algorithms and visualization approaches. Clinical results demonstrate applicability of proposed approach for 3-D imaging of the vagina and surrounding structures and characterization of normal and pelvic organ prolapse conditions. In PhaseII we plan to build VTI 2-prototype, complete the bench verification studies, EMC and safety testing in the accordance with regulatory compliance to bring the device to clinical validation study with 200 patients, 2 sites, and 5 operators. The proposed device will quantitatively evaluate multiple mechanical and structural properties of vaginal walls, such as elasticity distribution, Young's modulus, elasticity contrast, size and shape of abnormal tissue, provide prolapse characterization and assess resultsof reconstructive surgery. The completion of proposed project promises to gain scientific knowledge, provide new technical capability and improve clinical practice in gynecology. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Pelvic organ prolapse is a highly prevalentcondition affecting at least 50% of women in the US during their lifetimes. The goal of this project is to develop Vaginal Tactile Imager (VTI) for 3-D elasticity imaging of pelvic floor tissues and prolapse characterization that could improve pelvic floordisorder diagnosis and treatment. Our clinical data have shown that VTI has the potential to predict the risk of developing prolapse and provide insight into optimal approaches for surgical repair.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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