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Defense Date
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Biomedical Engineering
First Advisor
Dr. Martin L. Lenhardt
Abstract
Whether caused by trauma, internal diseases, or spontaneously; pneumothorax and hemothorax are potentially life threatening illnesses. They are currently primarily diagnosed with x-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound imaging. While these methods are generally reliable, they are not always available to the injured patient. Life threatening pneumothoraces, such as tension pneumothorax, must be treated quickly. When diagnosed correctly, pneumothorax and hemothorax can be quickly mended through insertion of chest tubes. X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound imaging require large scale equipment and are not always dependable. There is a more reliable, portable, and faster result producing method to diagnose pneumothorax. Vibro-acoustic waves can be sent through the chest and the resulting wave can be measured. By analyzing attenuation characteristics determined by the geometry of the chest structures, it can be determined if the patient's pleural space is healthy, contains air (pneumothrax), or contains fluid (hemothorax).
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
June 2008
VCU Only:
Off Campus Download
Comments
Part of Retrospective ETD Collection, restricted to VCU only.