Objective Evaluation of Pulse Width Using an Array Pulse Diagram.

Background: Pulse width, which can reflect qi, blood excess, and deficiency, has been used for diagnosing diseases and determining the prognosis in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This study aimed to devise an objective method to measure the pulse width based on an array pulse diagram for objective diagnosis.

Methods: The channel 6, the region wherein the pulse wave signal is the strongest, is located in the middle of the pulse sensor array and at the guan position of cunkou during data collection. Therefore, the main wave (h₁) time of the pulse wave was collected from the channel 6 through calculation. The left h₁ time was collected from the remaining 11 channels. The amplitudes at these time points were extracted as the h₁ amplitudes for each channel. However, the pulse width could not be calculated accurately at 12 points. Consequently, a bioharmonic spline interpolation algorithm was used to interpolate the h₁ amplitude data obtained from the horizontal and vertical points, yielding 651 (31 × 21) h₁ amplitude data. The 651 data points were converted into a heat map to intuitively calculate the pulse width. The pulse width was calculated by multiplying the number of grids on the vertical axis with the unit length of the grid. The pulse width was determined by TCM doctors to verify the pulse width measurement accuracy. Meanwhile, a color Doppler ultrasound examination of the volunteers' radial arteries was performed and the intravascular meridian widths of the radial artery compared with the calculated pulse widths to determine the reliability.

Results: The pulse width determined using the maximal h₁ amplitude method was comparable with the radial artery intravascular meridian widths measured using color Doppler ultrasound. The h₁ amplitude was higher in the high blood pressure group and the pulse width was greater.

Conclusions: The pulse width determined using the maximal h₁ amplitude was objective and accurate. Comparison between the pulse widths of the normal and high blood pressure groups verified the reliability of the method.