The use of wavelength division multiplexed fiber Bragg grating sensors for distributed sensing of pressure in the gastrointestinal tract

The design and clinical performance of fiber Bragg grating based pressure sensing catheters for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal motility disorders are presented. The fiber optic design allows catheters with multiple sensing regions but small overall diameters to be fabricated, which is advantageous for nasal intubation into patients. The fiber optic catheters have been compared to a commercially available solid-state device both in-vitro and in-vivo, and results demonstrate that they are suitable for diagnosis of gastrointestinal motility disorders.