The Audible Human Project

描述（由申请人提供）：国家医学图书馆的可视化人体项目（VHP）促进了高级可视化软件的开发，该软件有助于解剖学教育，并已成为生物医学研究人员的宝贵资源。它帮助了许多技术的发展，应用范围从改进成像技术到模拟外科手术过程。我们的长期目标是开发一个类似的“听觉人类项目”（AHP）。这将准确地模拟与心血管、肺和胃肠道功能相关的自然声音的产生、传播和无创测量（例如使用听诊器）。它还可以模拟外部引入的声音，例如通过皮肤表面的敲击。这样一个全面的工具将对医学教育和研究产生重大影响。它可以促进新的廉价，便携式听诊方法的发展，以及更先进的多模声成像模式。从教育的角度来看，最近的研究强调了熟练听诊在医学中的持续重要性，而这一技能在年轻医生中正在下降。AHP可以帮助提供更有效的教育体验。学生不会只听录音。他或她将能够交互地改变解剖和病理，以及传感器的位置，类型和接触压力，以便听到，“看到”和“感觉”（如果集成在触觉环境中）结果，并将它们与可量化的指标联系起来。本R03应用程序的具体目的是开发并实验验证一个专注于肺系统的上半身声学模型。该模型将通过放置在躯干表面的接触式传感器模拟呼吸声的产生、传输和测量。它还将模拟通过气道或通过躯干表面的敲击外部引入的声音的传输和测量。将基于x射线CT图像生成3名健康受试者（男性）的躯干声学模型。在这些相同的对象上进行详细的声学测量，然后用于验证模拟模型。一旦验证，这种建模方法将用于通过NLM为可见的VHP男性开发声学躯干模型。然后，这个“可听人类男性”的躯干部分将通过位于芝加哥伊利诺伊大学PI实验室的网络服务器提供给所有人。为了实现这一目标，基于边界元（BE）的计算代码将模拟声音在生物组织（包括肺气道和肺组织）中的传播，通过将肺声源生成并将其耦合到周围胸腔和软组织区域的有限元模型，以及通过耦合到皮肤上安装的传感器（如听诊器）来增强。听诊器可以有自己复杂的动态行为。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Visible Human Project (VHP) of the National Library of Medicine has catalyzed the development of advanced visualization software that has aided in anatomy education and has been an invaluable resource to biomedical researchers. It has aided in the development of numerous technologies, with applications spanning from improving imaging technology to simulating surgical procedures. Our long-term goal is to develop a comparable "Audible Human Project" (AHP). This would accurately simulate the production, transmission and noninvasive measurement (for example using stethoscopes) of naturally-occurring sounds associated with cardiovascular, pulmonary and gastro-intestinal function. It would also model externally introduced sounds, for example via percussion at the skin surface. Such a comprehensive tool would have a significant impact on medical education and research. It could catalyze the development of new inexpensive, portable auscultative methods, as well as more advanced multimode acoustic imaging modalities. From an educational perspective, recent studies have emphasized the continued importance of skilled auscultation in medicine and the fact that this skill is in decline among younger physicians. The AHP could help provide a more effective educational experience. A student would not just listen to audio recordings. He or she would be able to interactively vary anatomy and pathology, as well as sensor position, type and contact pressure, so as to hear, "see" and "feel" (if integrated within a haptic environment) the results and associate them with quantifiable metrics. The specific aim of this R03 application is to develop and experimentally validate an upper torso acoustic model focused on the pulmonary system. This model will simulate breath sound generation, transmission and measurement via contact sensors placed on the torso surface. It will also simulate the transmission and measurement of externally introduced sound via the airways or via percussion of the torso surface. Subject- specific torso acoustic models will be generated for 3 healthy human subjects (males) based on x-ray CT images. Detailed acoustic measurements on these same subjects will then be used to validate the simulation model. Once validated this modeling approach will be used to develop an acoustic torso model for the visible human male of the VHP available via the NLM. This torso component of a "audible human male" will then be made available to all via a webserver maintained in the PI's laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. To accomplish this, a boundary element (BE) based computational code that simulates sound propagation in biological tissues, including the lung airways and parenchymal tissue, will be enhanced by incorporating lung sound source generation and coupling it to a finite element model of the surrounding ribcage and soft tissue region, and by including coupling to skin-mounted sensors, like stethoscopes, which can have their own complex dynamic behavior.