Method of detecting portal and/or hepatic pressure and a portal hypertension monitoring system

摘要

The devices and methods generally relate to vibratable sensors for measuring ambient fluid pressure, in particular implantable sensors. The devices and methods are particularly well-suited to implantation within the body of a living animal or human to monitor physiological conditions, such as portal and/or hepatic venous blood pressure, and allow frequent, remote interrogation of venous pressure using the resonance frequency of an implanted sensor. The sensor devices are relatively small compared to conventional devices for measuring fluid pressure and can be implanted in the porto-hepatic venous system, whereas conventional devices are too large. The small size of the device is accomplished by using a thick sensor membrane, compared to conventional devices, and by limiting the size of additional elements of the device relative to the size of the sensor membrane. The thicker sensor member also obviates the need for multiple sensor arrays and maintains the accuracy and robustness of the sensor device. A data capture, processing, and display system provides a pressure measurement reading, and is particularly well-suited for detecting portal hypertension in patients with liver disorders.