Women with mobility limitations, such as Cerebral Palsy (CP), are 35% less likely than able-bodied women to have ever received a Pap smear. Women with CP experience poor muscle tone, tight muscles, and involuntary movements making it hard for them to maintain the positioning necessary to place a speculum. This project aimed to design a device to allow for proper and comfortable examinations for women with CP who may have challenges getting into the proper exam position. To accomplish this, we constructed a camera-guided speculum consisting of a flexible hollow tubing, rather than rigid metal and plastic, allowing the device to bend to 49.7 ± 4.2°. The device also has an inflatable balloon at the cervix-facing end of the device with inner and outer diameters of 1.6 cm and 3.0 cm. The device yielded clear images of the model cervix, and a brush mimicked the collection of cervical cells, suggesting the device could facilitate successful Pap smears for this underserved population.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Cognetta, Julianna
• Velletri, Mia

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 64621
• E-project-042722-174456

Keyword

• Women's health
• Disability
• Speculum - Medical Device
• Gynecology
• Cerebral Palsy
• Healthcare disparities and inequities

Advisor

• Troy, Karen

Year

• 2022

Date created

• 2022-04-27

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biomedical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright

License

• Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 International