Modelled current distribution in cervical squamous tissue.

The electrical properties of cervical squamous epithelium have been modelled in the frequency range 100 Hz to 10 MHz. The hierarchical modelling process comprises a cellular level stage, which includes detailed models of cells typical of different depths within the epithelium and a tissue model, which utilizes electrical properties obtained from the cellular models. The fit between the modelled and measured impedance spectra and the distribution of current with depth depends on the macroscopic model structure. Both the properties of the basement membrane and the presence of a surface mucus layer are shown to have a significant effect. The best fit with measured data is obtained when a 10 microm thick, high-conductivity surface layer is included in the tissue model.