Abstract
In the last years, there has been an interest in development of simulators to reproduce the mechanical properties of the human digestive system. Particularly, there have been some approaches in the development of esophagus simulators. Such simulators intend to replicate the peristaltic wave conditions, but the reported experiments are related to indirect measurements in which the use of a fluid is not reported. In this work, an X-ray technique for visualizing the flow of bolus through an artificial esophageal simulator (AES) is proposed. For that purpose, particles of barium sulfate were thoroughly mixed with baby food, in order to create a suspension used as bolus. Barium sulfate particles used in the present work are insoluble in water with non-regular forms, a size distribution from 20 to 80 nm, and a specific surface area ranging from 10 to 50 m2/g. The advantage of using barium sulfate is its high absorption of X-rays, which allows obtaining a good contrast in radiographies, so that the transport of the bolus along the esophagus simulator can be easily tracked. The results revealed the appearance of secondary flows on the wave sides, which displace as the wave contracts. This was verified with the flow fields, in which it was observed that the bolus flows mainly along the central part of the wave and a small volume tends to retract. This confirms that the flow is extensional as the bolus is stretched and compressed during the peristalsis.
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Acknowledgements
The financial support from DGAPA-UNAM through the grants IN-113319 and PE113019 is highly appreciated. This work has been also financed by CONACYT LN-232719, LN-271897, LN 280867, LN294415, LN 299129 and INFR-294752 grants and by the RVO 68378297 of the Czech Acad Sci. Authors also thank to M.Sc. Karen Pérez-Salas for the rheological measurements of the working fluid, and Marcos Velázquez for his support in the manufacturing of some components required for this work.
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Ruiz-Huerta, L., Palacios-Morales, C., Caballero-Ruiz, A. et al. X-ray technique for visualization of the bolus flow through an esophageal simulator. J Vis 24, 761–769 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-021-00743-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-021-00743-5