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Abstract

A method and apparatus is presented for recording uterine electrical activity from the surface of the abdomen or vagina for the purpose of diagnosing contractile patterns of the uterus or abdominal muscles in pregnant and nonpregnant patients. The present invention provides data analysis techniques for analyzing electromyographic data measured from the surface of a patient to characterize uterine activity. The method and apparatus described include algorithms for the systematic analysis of electrical signals recorded from the abdominal surface. Such processing comprises integration of signals, frequency spectral analysis, 3-dimensional power density mesh plots, vector analysis, fast wavelet transform, and joint time-frequency characteristics. These techniques and apparatus are appropriate for use in a clinic or through communication lines for use as a remote or home uterine monitoring system. As such, uterine electrical activity may be measured at a remote location and processed at a central facility through on-line communications channels, such as a telephone line. The techniques and apparatus disclosed are also useful in predicting successful treatment for cases where either the uterus fails to develop forceful contractions at term or begins to contract pre-term.

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First Claim