Computer Assisted Auscultation System for Phonoangiography of the Carotid Artery

• Published in: Current directions in biomedical engineering 2019-09, Vol.5 (1), p.175-178
• Main Authors: Sühn, Thomas, Mahmoodian, Naghmeh, Sreenivas, Arathi, Maldonado, Iván, Spiller, Moritz, Boese, Axel, Illanes, Alfredo, Friebe, Michael, Bloxton, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: carotid stenosis; cerebrovascular diseases; computer assisted auscultation; Phonoangiography
• ISSN: 2364-5504; 2364-5504
• DOI: 10.1515/cdbme-2019-0044

Cerebrovascular diseases such as stenosis, atherosclerosis or distention of the carotid artery are accountable for about 1 million death per year across Europe. Diagnostic tools like ultrasound imaging, angiography or magnetic resonance-based imaging require specific hardware and highly depend on the experience of the examining clinician. In contrast auscultation with a stethoscope can be used to screen for carotid bruits - audible vascular sounds associated with turbulent blood flow - a method called phonoangiography. A reliable auscultation setup is prerequisite to ensure high signal quality, adequate processing and the objective evaluation of this audible signal. We propose a computer assisted auscultation system for the acquisition of vascular sounds of the carotid. The system comprises of an auscultation device, a smartphone-based control application and cloud-based signal analysis and storage. It is designed to facilitate the objective assessment, screening and monitoring of long-term changes in the vessel condition based on auscultation of the carotid artery.