Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Bladder Monitoring: A Machine Learning Approach

Dr. Jannik Lockl and Pascal Fechner have published a groundbreaking scientific paper in which an innovative alternative to conventional catheterization was developed and successfully tested. The focus of the research was the development of a model for individualized bladder volume monitoring that could potentially improve the lives of millions of patients significantly.

Patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction no longer have any sensation of their bladder or its degree of filling. To avoid over-distension of the bladder and prevent long-term damage to the urinary tract, intermittent bladder catheterization is the standard method of emptying. However, the emptying schedule does not take into account the actual bladder volume, so catheterization is performed more often than necessary, which can lead to complications such as urinary tract infections. The time-consuming catheterization also disrupts patients' daily routines and unnecessarily ties up personnel and material resources when the bladder is empty.

As part of the design science research process, the applicability and usefulness of the newly developed model were thoroughly tested through interviews with affected patients, prototyping, and application to a real-world in vivo dataset. Using the recorded sensor data (i.e., near-infrared spectroscopy and acceleration), the authors were able to predict bladder volume with the prototype with an accuracy of 116.7 ml (mean absolute error). The promising results demonstrate the enormous potential of the technology to significantly improve bladder management for patients. The ability to monitor bladder volume in real time not only considerably improves patients' quality of life but can also help reduce the need for invasive catheterizations and thus the use of medical aids and the support of medical personnel.

The research by Dr. Jannik Lockl and Pascal Fechner thus opens up new perspectives for the care and support of people with neurogenic bladder dysfunction and shows how innovative technologies can improve healthcare.

The full article can be read here: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3563779