Research project

Assessing a penile compressive device with patients, FEA and MRI modelling

  • Research funder:
    EPSRC
  • Status:
    Not active

Project overview

Penile clamps are often used to prevent urinary leakage in males with incontinence following prostatectomy. However to ensure that the urethra is fully closed, existing designs apply large forces to the penile tissues, which can cause damage to the vulnerable skin and soft urological tissues. It is evident that existing technology, based on generic designs, and practice is not fit for purpose. Understanding the biomechanics at the device-tissue interface will provide a means to predict this risk.

A combined approach involving computational modelling (FEA), biophysical measurements and imaging (MRI) has been adopted to predict these interface conditions.

Goals
• Predict the effective stresses and strains in various soft tissue layers when compression is applied using five generic clamp designs
• Monitor parameters of tissue pressures and blood flow impedance during application of clamps and the subsequent changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines. These measures could be used as indicators of skin health
• Estimate the tissue deformations resulting from the application of existing clamp designs
• To design a novel safe penile clamp and clinical guidelines, co-designed with prostate cancer patients, clinicians and engineers

Research outputs

Joe Lemmens, Lea Peko Cohen, Peter R. Worsley, Chris Everitt, Jackie Broadbridge, Amit Gefen, Rowland W. Rees, Marcus Drake, Margaret C. Macaulay, Mandy Fader & Dan L. Bader, 2020, Journal of Clinical Urology, 13(6), 402-406
Type: article
Joseph Mh Lemmens, Jackie Broadbridge, Margaret Macaulay, Rowland W Rees, Matt Archer, Marcus J Drake, Katherine N Moore, Dan L Bader & Mandy Fader, 2019, Medical Devices Evidence and Research, 12, 235-243
Type: article
2016, Neurourology and Urodynamics, 36(6), 1645-1650
Type: article