A Wearable Ultrasound Device for the Monitoring and Acceleration of Bone Fracture Healing

Introduction Several methods for the acceleration of the healing process have been used, including electrical stimulation. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have direct biological effects on endochondrial cells and enhance the formation of callus (Gupta et al., 1991). Ultrasound is currently used for the diagnosis of osteoporosis (R. Strelitzki et. al., 1996). In this case, two ultrasound transducers are placed on the skin, on opposite sites of the bone sample and the transition time of ultrasound waves is measured. In a recent study (C. Malizos et. Al., 1999) the use of ultrasound waves was proposed to enhance callus formation. In this work, the architectural design of a personalized wearable device for the monitoring and acceleration of bone fracture healing using ultrasound signals is presented. The proposed wearable device is plugged onto an external fixator and the traducers are placed directly on the surface of the bone. The proposed system can be used for the acceleration, as well as the monitoring of the healing progress. In comparison with currently used techniques, such as X-rays and manual sensing, the proposed device provides accurate information on the progress of healing and can recognize possible problems or non-union quite early in the process. In addition, it provides with several support services, such as communication of information to the doctor, intelligent data processing and generation of alerts when it is needed.