Development of a non-invasive measurement system for the pressure of esophageal varices

Esophageal varices, because of their tendency to cause massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage, have been paid more attention regarding patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Although the mechanism of variceal bleeding is not fully understood, increased portal and variceal pressure are thought to be of the major importance. To evaluate the curing effects of drugs on patients, variceal pressure must be measured. This paper introduces the authors work on the development a noninvasive measurement system to obtain the pressure of esophageal varices at endoscopy. The wall tension is another important parameter in studying varices. Variceal rupture is believed to occur when variceal wall tension is excessive.