The investigators propose to continue the integration of several software systems, data collection devices, and imaging data into a system for computer assisted diagnosis of swallowing disorders, as further described by their abstract: "We continue the developments initiated in Phase I of the 'Swallowing Motility Diagnostics System,' a computer-based hardware/software system which (a) advances the state- of-the-art in the collection, storage, retrieval, and analysis of motility and video fluoroscopic data for clinical evaluation of dysphagia, (b) promotes the transition of knowledge and technique from research to clinical practice, (c) potentially reduces the use of radiation through more sophisticated application of intraluminal manometry, and (d) is designed for continual advancement in the state- of-the-art. Flexibility is gained by combining hardware modules of the Kay Elemetrics 'Swallowing Workstation' (SW) with a suite of sophisticated tools within an interactive software environment for data analysis and clinical evaluation, the Penn State 'Motility Diagnostics System' (MDS). During Phase I we developed an advanced version of the original UNIX-based MDS (MDS-I) in the PC/Windows95 environment and extended the SW to 15 channels of perfused manometry input (SW-A). The prototype SW-A was combined with the prototype MDS to create the first tier of the new 'Swallowing Motility Diagnostics System.' SMDS-I was successfully tested at The Johns Hopkins in the clinical setting in a concurrent manometry-fluoroscopic study of esophageal bolus transport. During Phase II we shall fully integrate, beta test, and perfect three tiers of the Swallowing Motility Diagnostics System (SMDS-I,II,III) by combining three tiers of the Motility Diagnostics System with two tiers of advanced hardware. Whereas SMDS-I is directed at clinical application and SMDS-III at research, the intermediate level SMDS-II will be a 'transitional' platform between research and clinical applications, encouraging the flow of information between research and application. A goal is to have the first tier system, SMDS-I, commercially available by the end of the phase II period."

PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE

R42DK052058

1996-09-30

2000-11-30