Abstract
This paper is concerned with the development of palpation sensor for detecting the prostatic cancer and hypertrophy. The sensor probe is a layered medium with polyvinylidene flouride (PVDF) films embeded in a matrix sponge rubber and placed on the tip of a driving mechanism. It is pushed onto the flexible object and oscillated at about 50Hz and peak-to-peak amplitude 2mm. The laboratory test shows that the magnitude of sensor output has a good correlation with the spring constant of the sample rubber block. Some clinical data on the stiffness of prostate glands are presented. Further, the effect of the structure of probe on the sensor output is detailed.
