Development of Optical Sensory System Toward Quantifying Internal Neck Lymphoedema.

Head and neck lymphoedema is a common side effect of head and neck cancer treatment. Lymphoedema is the accumulation of tissue fluid within the soft tissues. There is no current method for objectively quantifying internal cervical lymphoedema. Quantifying lymphoedema would give us the ability to determine the effectiveness of applied therapeutic strategies that aim to mitigate lymphoedema. This paper proposes an internal sensor, developed to quantify lymphoedema by calculating the intra-luminal cross-sectional area (CSA) and radius of the throat (pharynx) using proximity sensors. This method will allow the physician to monitor changes in CSA at a specified depth in the pharynx, quantifying the change in lymphoedema over time. An experiment was conducted to determine the radius and area of a perfect cylinder with a radius of 15 mm. The stages of experimental setup and technical preparations are discussed. Results (n=55) of CSA measurement, demonstrated a mean error of 7.04%, with the best result having an error of 0%. These preliminary results demonstrate the potential of the internal sensor to quantify internal lymphoedema and may deliver insights to help guide therapeutic strategies.