On the propagation analysis of electrohysterographic signals

Premature birth is a leading cause of fetal mortality and long-term morbidity. The effective treatment of preterm uterine contractions requires new methods for predicting delivery. The electrohysterographic (EHG) signal is a measure of the bioelectrical process underlying the uterine contraction. The analysis of parameters derived from the EHG signal can therefore provide fundamental information for the prognosis of labor. In this paper, we focus on the propagation of the EHG signal recorded during delivery by multiple electrodes. For the inter-electrode delay assessment and propagation analysis, two different methods are implemented. One is based on the prior estimation of the uterine mechanical activity by EHG signal processing. The delay is then calculated by the cross-correlation function between the mechanical activity estimated at each sensor. The other method is a high temporal resolution adaptive delay estimator that operates directly on EHG signals. The previously demonstrated accuracy of the mechanical estimates and the agreement between the delays provided by the methods confirm the tight relationship between the mechanical and electrical activity of the uterus. However, our results suggest that a higher temporal resolution delay estimator is preferred.