A mathematical model of bowel sound generation

J Acoust Soc Am. 2018 Dec;144(6):EL485. doi: 10.1121/1.5080528.

Abstract

Humans have been interested in bowel sounds and wondered about their origins for millennia. To better understand the phenomenon, a mathematical model of bowel sound generation was developed based on a spring-mass-damping system. This is similar to vocal folds models for speech. The bowel sound model has four parameters that link to bowel activities: the individual wave component, pressure index, component quantity, and component interval time. All types of bowel sound documented previously can be modelled by combining different values for these parameters. Further, a 2500 ms bowel sound incorporating all the common types was simulated to present the model's accuracy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't