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. 2018 Dec 3;18(12):4240.
doi: 10.3390/s18124240.

Bowel Sounds Identification and Migrating Motor Complex Detection with Low-Cost Piezoelectric Acoustic Sensing Device

Xuhao Du  1 , Gary Allwood  2 , Katherine Mary Webberley  3 , Adam Osseiran  4 , Barry J Marshall  5
Affiliations

Bowel Sounds Identification and Migrating Motor Complex Detection with Low-Cost Piezoelectric Acoustic Sensing Device

Xuhao Du et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Interpretation of bowel sounds (BS) provides a convenient and non-invasive technique to aid in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. However, the approach's potential is limited by variation between BS and their irregular occurrence. A short, manual auscultation is sufficient to aid in diagnosis of only a few conditions. A longer recording has the potential to unlock additional understanding of GI physiology and clinical utility. In this paper, a low-cost and straightforward piezoelectric acoustic sensing device was designed and used for long BS recordings. The migrating motor complex (MMC) cycle was detected using this device and the sound index as the biomarker for MMC phases. This cycle of recurring motility is typically measured using expensive and invasive equipment. We also used our recordings to develop an improved categorization system for BS. Five different types of BS were extracted: the single burst, multiple bursts, continuous random sound, harmonic sound, and their combination. Their acoustic characteristics and distribution are described. The quantities of different BS during two-hour recordings varied considerably from person to person, while the proportions of different types were consistent. The sensing devices provide a useful tool for MMC detection and study of GI physiology and function.

Keywords: bowel sound; migrating motor complex; piezoelectric; quantity proportion.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Decomposition of the real sensor and (b) its corresponding consistence including the top lid, housing, foam, piezoelectric disk, and the membrane.
Figure 2
Figure 2
An example of the (a) single burst; (b) multiple bursts; (c) random continued sound; (d) harmonic sound; and (e) combination sound in time domain (top) and its corresponding spectrogram (bottom).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Normalized distribution (area under curve equals to one) of acoustics characteristics of four types of BS including (a) duration; (b) mean-cross ratio; (c) spectral bandwidth; and (d) spectral flatness.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The scaled sound index of BS every three minutes (black curve) and sound duration (red curve) over eight hours under fasting at (a) upper quadrant and (b) lower quadrant.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The scaled sound index of BS and the sound duration at lower quadrant (a) over four hours after meal from participant L and (b) over two hours under fasting stage from participant No. 1 to 3.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The scaled sound index of BS and the sound duration at lower quadrant (a) over four hours after meal from participant L and (b) over two hours under fasting stage from participant No. 1 to 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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