Three-Dimensional Image Reconstruction Method Based on Planar Array Electrode Sensor for Perioperative Atelectasis With Electrical Impedance Tomography

A three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction method based on the planar array electrode sensor (PAE-Sensor) with electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is proposed for perioperative atelectasis. This method is based on 3D lung EIT technology, which provides images containing rich pathological information, and the arrangement of PAE-Sensors is suitable for perioperative atelectasis patients compared to electrode belts. Firstly, a double lung model with five lung lobes is constructed. This model is used to simulate different atelectasis conditions under four lung function levels. Secondly, several types of PAE-Sensors with reference electrodes are designed for perioperative atelectasis. 3D lung EIT imaging is achieved by the PAE-Sensors, which can be used to estimate local atelectasis. Finally, the effectiveness of the PAE-Sensors is verified through 3D lung breathing phantom experiments. Image correlation coefficient (ICC) and root mean square error (RMSE) are used to evaluate the image reconstruction quality. The imaging results show that the multi-reference planar array electrode (MRPAE-Sensor) outperforms the other PAE-Sensors in the image reconstruction quality. In the 3D lung breathing experiments, the ICC of MRPAE-Sensor = 0.898 and RMSE = 0.058. The imaging results are closest to the recorded snapshots obtained in the experiments. Compared with PAE-Sensors, the MRPAE-Sensor increases ICC by 6.53% and reduces RMSE by 9.36%. Meanwhile, for 2D slices of different sections, the average image correlation coefficient ICC = 0.933 and the average root means square error RMSE = 0.062 higher than other sensors. The MRPAE-Sensor is expected to be used in perioperative atelectasis to achieve 3D lung EIT imaging of patients.