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Electrical Impedance Based Spectroscopy and Tomography Techniques for Obesity and Heart Diseases

Citation

Zhang, Shell Xiaoxiao (2017) Electrical Impedance Based Spectroscopy and Tomography Techniques for Obesity and Heart Diseases. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/Z9CC0XPJ. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:09292016-114827320

Abstract

Despite advances in diagnosis and therapy, atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Predicting metabolically active atherosclerotic lesions has remained an unmet clinical need. Specially, atherosclerotic plaques that are prone to rupture are of extremely high-risk and can cause detrimental heart attacks and/or strokes, leading to sudden death. It has been shown that atheroscleroses is correlated to the level of obesity of an individual [1] Usually in clinical practice, the doctor will assess a patient's "risk factor" based on his or her Body Mass Index (BMS), and measurement of the waist circumference. Meanwhile the level of fatty droplet deposits in the liver is an important bio-marker to assess the patient's risk factor, however the patient will need to undergo radiation imaging such as CT scan or MRI scan.

For the vulnerable plaques that can lead to sudden rupture, the ability to distinguish them at an early stage remains largely lacking. Therefore it is of great clinical interest to find improved diagnostic techniques to identify and localize such vulnerable plaques. Meanwhile, lipid has significantly lower electrical impedance than the rest of the vessel tissues in certain frequency bands [2]. In this thesis we explore spectroscopic and tomographic methods to characterize such plaques. In addition, with the Electrical Impedance Tomography method we will propose a novel method to detect fatty liver in an early stage with non-radiating and non-invasive manner.

Item Type:Thesis (Dissertation (Ph.D.))
Subject Keywords:Electrical impedance tomography, fatty liver, atherosclerosis, vulnerable plaque
Degree Grantor:California Institute of Technology
Division:Engineering and Applied Science
Major Option:Electrical Engineering
Thesis Availability:Public (worldwide access)
Research Advisor(s):
  • Tai, Yu-Chong
Thesis Committee:
  • Tai, Yu-Chong (chair)
  • Yang, Changhuei
  • Choo, Hyuck
  • Hsiai, Tzung
Defense Date:20 September 2016
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
NIHHL118650
NIHHL083015
NIHHL111437
NIHHL129727
Record Number:CaltechTHESIS:09292016-114827320
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:09292016-114827320
DOI:10.7907/Z9CC0XPJ
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10439-016-1559-9DOIArticle adapted for ch. 5
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2013.11.059 DOIArticle adapted for ch. 5
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10544-014-9912yDOIArticle adapted for ch. 6
http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/transducers.2013.6626876DOIArticle adapted for ch. 3
Default Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:9927
Collection:CaltechTHESIS
Deposited By: Xiaoxiao Zhang
Deposited On:09 Dec 2016 21:31
Last Modified:04 Oct 2019 00:14

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