Ridge extraction from the scalogram of the uterine electromyogram

Abstract

We propose a ridge extraction method, based on the local maxima of the scalogram, in order to follow the spectral components during time. The method is applied on a monkey's uterine electromyogram signal, which represents the electrical uterine activity during pregnancy. This signal possesses two spectral components, identified as FW/sub L/ and FW/sub H/ in the literature. Their extraction and characterization could be of great value to understand the woman's uterine activity, particularly for the medical diagnosis of preterm delivery.