Patents Examined by Riley Jain
  • Patent number: 6475147
    Abstract: Changes in intracranial pressure can be measured dynamically and non-invasively by monitoring one or more cerebrospinal fluid pulsatile components. Pulsatile components such as systolic and diastolic blood pressures are partially transferred to the cerebrospinal fluid by way of blood vessels contained in the surrounding brain tissue and membrane. As intracranial pressure varies these cerebrospinal fluid pulsatile components also vary. Thus, intracranial pressure can be dynamically measured. Furthermore, use of acoustics allows the measurement to be completely non-invasive. In the preferred embodiment, phase comparison of a reflected acoustic signal to a reference signal using a constant frequency pulsed phase-locked-loop ultrasonic device allows the pulsatile components to be monitored. Calibrating the device by inducing a known change in intracranial pressure allows conversion to changes in intracranial pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William T. Yost, John H. Cantrell