Temperature Sensitivity Measurement Device Helps Diagnose Esophageal Diseases

A technology normally used to cool the central processing units (CPUs) in computers may in the future help doctors confer a quicker diagnosis of esophageal disorders.

Researchers at The Royal London Hospital (United Kingdom) are adapting the computer cooler technology--which works on a principal known as the Peltier effect--into a miniature device that would act like a thermometer; once inserted into the patients' esophagus, the device would follow changes to the thermal sensitivity of tissue. This could help identify those patients with abnormal acid exposure in the esophagus who have heightened sensitivity, and could also be used to measure a patient's sensory response to thermal stimulation. The resulting data would then be used to determine the level of sensitization and to guide response to therapy of a variety of esophageal disorders, including gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic heartburn, and aggressive esophageal cancer.

Current theories suggest that failure to respond to the standard therapies for GERD and other conditions may be due to the fact that the repeated acid reflux in these patients has caused increased sensitivity of the nerves in the lining of the esophagus, so that these nerves are activated even by small amounts of acid, which would otherwise be considered normal. However, it is very difficult with current techniques to determine if the nerves have become sensitized or not. Prototypes of the device as small as seven millimeters are being developed to enable easy insertion into the patient's esophagus.

"Typically, Peltier technology is used to cool high-performance components in computers, so people may be surprised to hear that we are using this technique to help diagnose disorders of the esophagus,” said device codeveloper Jonathan Reeves, Ph.D., of the Royal London's clinical physics clinical academic unit. "There is no comparable existing product that provides the fine control and rapid changes in temperature that this technology delivers.”

A Peltier cooler/heater, also known as a thermoelectric heat pump, is a solid-state active device, which transfers heat from one side of the apparatus to the other. In theory, the Peltier effect is explained by electrons speeding up or slowing down under the influence of a contact potential difference. In one scenario, the kinetic energy of the electrons increases, and then turns into heat; in the second case the kinetic energy decreases and the joint temperature falls down.

Related Links:
The Royal London Hospital