Incipientus technology is used in the research of swallowing disorders. Ph.D. student Waqas Qazi describes the real-time results as a wow factor.
Waqas Qazi is an experienced researcher in food rheology and clinical nutrition. As a Ph.D. student at Chalmers and RISE institute, Waqas Qazi worked with Incipientus instruments for several years. He utilized Incipientus’ Ultrasound Velocity Profiling technique while working with the biomechanics of swallowing disorders that frequently occurs in the elderly population.
– Working with these instruments has a wow factor to it because you can see what happens and give a response immediately. Incipientus gives you real-time results, he says.
Swallowing disorder, or dysphagia, affects 8% of the world population. The numbers are higher in the developed world due to the higher elderly population.
Waqas Qazi used the Incipientus Ultrasound Velocity Profiling technique to estimate the velocity profiles of different fluids. He calculated the shear rate, which is vital for tuning the precise viscosity when developing texture-modified foods. That is food developed for people with swallowing disorders.
The in-vitro lab results were validated in-vivo with tests on patients at the Skåne Hospital in Sweden. Unlike the gold standard, which is x-ray video fluoroscopy technique, the Incipientus Ultrasound Velocity Profiling technique captures the biomechanics of deglutition invasively without using any contrast media.
– That’s is indeed very positive since swallowing the contrast media can be uncomfortable for the patient, explains Waqas Qazi.
Traditional ways of measuring rheology are performed under highly idealized conditions. Still, these idealized conditions might not always replicate the actual process.
– I believe the technique from Incipientus has an advantage over traditional rheometry. The Incipientus Ultrasound Velocity Profiling system provides real-time estimation of the flow, and the traditional ways can’t match that.
