ABSTRACT
Objective:
to study the dynamics of the human esophagus behavior when affected by Chagas disease.
Methods:
a mass-spring-damper model was proposed to model the food through the esophagus during peristaltic action. After that, parameters were recalculated to simulate a chagasic megaesophagus.
Results:
the velocity and displacement curves from both models were analyzed and the dynamic differences between the healthy organ and the ill one, identified. According to the results obtained, the food displacement in a chagasic megaesophagus type II (3 centimeters dilated) is just 11.84% of the displacement in a healthy esophagus.
Conclusion:
Chagas disease generates a velocity close to zero and a high dampering in the downwards curve of the bolus whose displacement cannot return to its initial state, due to aperistalses, which proves the food bolus retention. With the introduction of the proposed organic control system, an approximation of the curves that remained with dynamic behavior close to the model of the healthy organ was obtained, minimizing the retention of the food.
Keywords:
Esophageal Achalasia; Chagas Disease; Esophagus