Design of a tongue coating sampling device for detection of tuberculosis, inspired by 3D X-ray-based histology of the human tongue

Details

Supervisors

Kerckhofs, Greet

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil biomédical, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Tuberculosis remains a major cause of death globally, accounting for more than one million deaths in 2022 despite the existence of effective treatment. Several diagnostic methods exist, most of them rely on sputum samples. This type of sample pose limitations such as invasiveness, production of contagious aerosols and difficulty for a part of the population to produce sputum. Tongue coating samples were proposed as a less invasive and more available alternative to sputum. However, current collection methods use non-optimal swabs, which collect a low quantity and variable quality of samples, a problem further increased by the absence of a standardized swab. This thesis aims to design a new, less invasive tongue coating sampling device, informed by contrast-enhanced microCT imaging of the tongue surface and coating. Objectives: Obtaining a three dimensional complete 3D imaging of the tongue surface and the overlaying tongue coating distribution. Based on the imaging results and current diagnostic needs, designing a device optimised for the sampling of the tongue coating, adapted to the context of high TB burden regions. Results: The tongue imaging provides a detailed topography of the lingual surface and its structures. The general distribution of the tongue coating can be observed. The design process has evaluated nine viable solutions, the four best were further detailed. Discussion: As of today, no detailed three dimensional model of the tongue surface exists in the literature. The obtained results provide valuable insights for the design process presented in this work. Additionally, it could aid in gathering a deeper understanding of the tongue anatomy. The four proposed devices each provide a cost-effective, safe and comfortably self-usable solution for tongue coating collection. The design process described in this work is only the first iteration of a larger process to find an optimal solution. This tool will not only aid TB diagnostics, but has the potential to contribute to the diagnosis of other diseases.