A novel method to investigate bladder wall behavior by acceleration and pressure sensing

Bladder dysfunctions form a continuously growing problem as the ageing population in our society is steadily increasing. However, scientific knowledge about the fundamental principles underlying bladder diseases is still lacking. Conventional cystometry-based methods for assessing bladder function are quite limited in their scope. In this paper, a novel device is introduced to research the bladder. An exploratory device was designed for measuring bladder wall contractions in rats using accelerometers. Later, a fully implantable system was created to extend the measurements to larger animal models. The battery-powered implant provides a wireless readout of multiple sensors with synchronous visualization. An intelligent algorithm is used to optimize the power consumption and to extend the autonomy after implantation, yielding a useable measurement time of 16 continuous days and several months of standby-time.