IMPEDANCE BASED SENSOR FOR MONITORING LEAKAGE IN AAA STENT GRAFT

摘要

Embodiment of the invention provide a technique for detecting endoleakage of an abdominal aortic aneurism (AAA) stent graft on a relatively frequent basis at home or the clinic without the safety risks and/or costs associated with current approaches. In one embodiment, an apparatus for detecting leakage in an AAA graft comprises: an electrode array having a plurality of electrodes distributed over and coupled with a surface of the AAA graft; and an electrical circuit configured to generate a stimulus voltage or current to be applied between sets of the plurality of electrodes of the electrode array and measure an impedance between the sets of the plurality of electrodes. The sets of electrodes for measuring the impedance are same as or different from the sets of electrodes for applying the stimulus voltage or current. A leakage is detected by a decrease in the impedance measured by the electrical circuit.