Portable brain tissue edema intelligent monitoring device based on terahertz spectrum

Abstract

The invention provides a portable brain tissue edema intelligent monitoring device based on a terahertz spectrum. The portable brain tissue edema intelligent monitoring device comprises a wearing mechanism, a flexible probe and a processing unit, the wearing mechanism is wound on the head of a patient and is used for fixing the flexible probe and the processing unit on the head of the patient to monitor the change of encephaledema; the flexible probe array is installed in the wearing mechanism, and flexible probes are attached to the head of a patient; the processing unit is mounted on one side of the wearing mechanism; the miniature quantum cascade laser is used as an emission source to generate low-frequency terahertz waves so as to enhance the skull penetrating capacity, the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector is used, the lock-in amplification technology is combined to improve the weak signal detection capacity, the flexible silica gel substrate attaches the monitoring component to the frontal lobe, the temporal lobe, the occipital lobe and other key areas of the head of a patient, and the detection accuracy is improved. Terahertz spectrum signals of different areas of brain tissue are continuously collected, spatial and temporal changes of moisture content and ion concentration are analyzed, an edema thermogram is constructed, and encephaledema is monitored in real time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for monitoring brain tissue edema, and particularly to a portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy, belonging to the technical field of medical devices. Background Art

[0002] After interventional surgical treatment for ischemic stroke, patients face a serious complication risk, namely malignant brain edema and intracerebral hemorrhage. These two complications seriously threaten the patient's life safety. Their symptoms may not be obvious in the initial stage of the disease, but once they develop, they may deteriorate rapidly. Although current medical technology has made great progress, to confirm the existence of these complications immediately after surgery, it still relies on traditional computed tomography (CT) technology. Although this detection method is effective, there is still a certain delay because CT examinations usually require patients to wait several hours after surgery, and during this waiting time, the condition may have deteriorated;

[0003] More importantly, existing clinical practices and research have found that compared with direct human eye observation, CT imaging can more accurately identify early brain edema and potential bleeding points. However, traditional CT examinations still require patients to change different positions for multi-angle scans, and each scan takes a long time, which not only increases the patient's discomfort but also increases the cost of medical services;

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, a portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy to solve or alleviate the technical problems in the prior art that there are risks of malignant brain edema and intracerebral hemorrhage after interventional surgical treatment for ischemic stroke, and currently, CT is required after surgery to detect and determine, which is not convenient for dynamically and intelligently monitoring the changes of brain edema, and at least provides a beneficial option.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is realized as follows: A portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy includes a wearing mechanism, a flexible probe, and a processing unit;

[0007] The wearing mechanism is wound around the patient's head for fixing the flexible probe and the processing unit on the patient's head to monitor the changes of brain edema;

[0008] The flexible probe array is installed inside the wearing mechanism, and the flexible probe is attached to the patient's head to reflect the degree of edema by analyzing the change of water content in the brain tissue;

[0009] The processing unit is installed on one side of the wearing mechanism for real-time signal acquisition and spectral preprocessing.

[0010] Further preferably, the wearing mechanism includes a headband, a first male snap fastener, and a first female snap fastener. The first male snap fastener and the first female snap fastener are both fixedly connected to one side of the headband. Two placement grooves are formed inside the headband, and third male snap fasteners are symmetrically and fixedly connected inside the placement grooves.

[0011] Further preferably, a soft pad is fixedly connected inside the headband, and ventilation holes are equidistantly distributed inside the soft pad.

[0012] Further preferably, a fixing buckle is fixedly connected to one side of the headband, a fixing strap is fixedly connected to one side of the top of the headband, and a second male snap fastener and a second female snap fastener are respectively fixedly connected to one side of the fixing strap.

[0013] Further preferably, the flexible probe includes a flexible silicone substrate, a miniaturized quantum cascade laser, and a high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector. The miniaturized quantum cascade laser and the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector are both installed on one side of the flexible silicone substrate. A separator is provided between the miniaturized quantum cascade laser and the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector, and the separator is fixedly connected to the flexible silicone substrate. Third female snap fasteners are symmetrically and fixedly connected to one side of the flexible silicone substrate.

[0014] Further preferably, an airbag is installed on one side of the flexible silicone substrate, a mini air pump is fixedly connected inside the flexible silicone substrate, and the air outlet of the mini air pump is communicated with the airbag.

[0015] Further preferably, a near-infrared spectrum sensor and an inertial measurement unit are respectively installed on one side of the flexible silicone substrate.

[0016] Further preferably, the processing unit includes an installation shell and an FPGA chip. The FPGA chip is installed inside the installation shell, and a wireless transmission module and a data storage module are respectively installed inside the installation shell.

[0017] Further preferably, a display screen is installed on one side of the installation shell, and two buttons are installed on one side of the installation shell.

[0018] Due to the adoption of the above technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, it has the following advantages:

[0019] 1. The present invention provides a miniaturized quantum cascade laser as the emission source to generate low-frequency terahertz waves, enhancing the ability to penetrate the skull. A highly sensitive pyroelectric detector is used, combined with a phase-locked amplification technique to improve the weak signal detection ability. A flexible silicone substrate attaches the monitoring components to key areas such as the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe of the patient's head, continuously collecting terahertz spectral signals from different regions of the brain tissue, analyzing the spatio-temporal changes in water content and ion concentration, constructing an edema heat map, and monitoring cerebral edema in real time.

[0020] 2. The present invention provides a mini air pump to fill the airbag, so that the airbag fills the gap between the miniaturized quantum cascade laser and the highly sensitive pyroelectric detector and the scalp, ensuring close contact with the scalp, reducing signal loss caused by air gaps, and each group of miniaturized quantum cascade lasers and highly sensitive pyroelectric detectors are independently installed, facilitating position adjustment according to the signs of different patients.

[0021] The above summary is only for the purpose of the specification and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features of the present invention will be readily apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0023] Figure 1 It is the structural diagram of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 It is the structural diagram of the headband in the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 It is the installation structural diagram of the installation shell in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 It is the internal structural diagram of the installation shell in the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 It is the structural diagram of the flexible probe in the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 It is the connection structural diagram of the flexible probe in the present invention.

[0029] Reference numerals: 10, wearing mechanism; 11, headband; 12, fixing strap; 13, first male velcro; 14, first female velcro; 15, second male velcro; 16, second female velcro; 17, placement groove; 18, third male velcro; 19, soft pad; 101, ventilation hole; 102, fixing buckle; 20, flexible probe; 21, flexible silicone substrate; 22, partition member; 23, miniaturized quantum cascade laser; 24, highly sensitive pyroelectric detector; 25, airbag; 26, third female velcro; 27, micro air pump; 28, near-infrared spectroscopy sensor; 29, inertial measurement unit; 30, processing unit; 31, mounting shell; 32, display screen; 33, button; 34, wireless transmission module; 35, FPGA chip; 36, data storage module. Detailed implementation manners

[0030] In the following, only some exemplary embodiments are simply described. As those skilled in the art can recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various different ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings and the description are considered to be exemplary in nature rather than restrictive.

[0031] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Embodiment 1

[0033] As Figure 1-6 shown, the embodiment of the present invention provides a portable intelligent monitoring device for cerebral tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy, which is composed of a wearing mechanism 10, a flexible probe 20 and a processing unit 30.

[0034] The wearing mechanism 10 is wound around the patient's head and is used to fix the flexible probe 20 and the processing unit 30 on the patient's head to monitor the changes in cerebral edema. The wearing mechanism 10 includes a headband 11, a first male velcro 13 and a first female velcro 14. Both the first male velcro 13 and the first female velcro 14 are fixedly connected to one side of the headband 11. Two placement grooves 17 are opened inside the headband 11, and third male velcros 18 are symmetrically and fixedly connected inside the placement grooves 17.

[0035] In one embodiment, in order to reduce the discomfort caused by long-term wearing, a soft pad 19 is fixedly connected inside the headband 11, and ventilation holes 101 are equidistantly distributed inside the soft pad 19.

[0036] In one embodiment, to prevent the headband 11 from naturally slipping downward after being worn, a fixing buckle 102 is fixedly connected to one side of the headband 11, a fixing strap 12 is fixedly connected to one side of the top of the headband 11, and a second male velcro 15 and a second female velcro 16 are respectively fixedly connected to one side of the fixing strap 12. The fixing of the headband 11 is strengthened through the fixing strap 12 to prevent the headband 11 from shifting in position, resulting in an inability to accurately monitor changes in brain edema.

[0037] The flexible probe 20 array is installed inside the wearing mechanism 10, and the detection surface of the flexible probe 20 is attached to the patient's head. The degree of edema is reflected by analyzing changes in the water content in the brain tissue. The flexible probe 20 includes a flexible silicone substrate 21, a miniaturized quantum cascade laser 23, and a high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector 24. The miniaturized quantum cascade laser 23 and the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector 24 are both installed on one side of the flexible silicone substrate 21. The miniaturized quantum cascade laser 23 generates low-frequency terahertz waves in the range of 0.1 - 2 THz to enhance the ability to penetrate the skull. The high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector 24 combines phase-locked amplification technology to improve the ability to detect weak signals. A separator 22 is provided between the miniaturized quantum cascade laser 23 and the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector 24. The separator 22 is fixedly connected to the flexible silicone substrate 21, and the separator 22 prevents the miniaturized quantum cascade laser 23 and the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector 24 in the same group from affecting each other. Third female velcro 26 is symmetrically and fixedly connected to one side of the flexible silicone substrate 21. The flexible silicone substrate 21 is connected and fixed to the headband 11 through the cooperation of the third female velcro 26 and the third male velcro 18.

[0038] In one embodiment, in order to ensure close contact with the scalp and reduce signal loss caused by air gaps, an airbag 25 is installed on one side of the flexible silicone substrate 21, and a mini air pump 27 is fixedly connected inside the flexible silicone substrate 21. The air outlet of the mini air pump 27 is communicated with the airbag 25.

[0039] In one embodiment, in order to synchronously monitor cerebral oxygen saturation and head movement for correcting terahertz signals, a near-infrared spectroscopy sensor 28 and an inertial measurement unit 29 are respectively installed on one side of the flexible silicone substrate 21.

[0040] The processing unit 30 is used for real-time signal acquisition and spectral preprocessing. The processing unit 30 includes an installation shell 31 and an FPGA chip 35. The FPGA chip 35 is installed inside the installation shell 31. A wireless transmission module 34 and a data storage module 36 are respectively installed inside the installation shell 31. The wireless transmission module 34 synchronizes data to a mobile terminal or a cloud server. The wireless transmission module 34 uses Bluetooth 5.0 or Wi-Fi 6. The data storage module 36 is used to store temporary data.

[0041] In one embodiment, in order to visually obtain the change state of brain edema, a display screen 32 is installed on one side of the installation shell 31, and two buttons 33 are installed on one side of the installation shell 31. The scanning mode can be switched through the buttons 33. When the patient is stationary, high-frequency scanning is started at 1 time per second, and when the patient is moving, it is switched to a low-frequency mode of 10 seconds per time to reduce motion artifacts.

[0042] Embodiment 2

[0043] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy, which is composed of a terahertz module, a flexible array probe and a control unit.

[0044] The terahertz module uses a photoconductive antenna as a radiation source to generate low-frequency terahertz waves in the range of 0.1 - 2 THz to enhance the ability to penetrate the skull, and uses a superconducting bolometer and combines a lock-in amplification technique to improve the weak signal detection ability.

[0045] The flexible array probe is a multi-channel probe array composed of a flexible silicone substrate 21, which is attached to key areas such as the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe of the patient's head. Each probe contains an independent terahertz module, and a microelectromechanical system is used to adjust the probe pressure to ensure close contact with the scalp and reduce signal loss caused by air gaps.

[0046] The control unit integrates an ARM chip to realize real-time signal acquisition and preprocessing, and synchronizes the data to a mobile terminal or a cloud server through Bluetooth 5.0 or Wi-Fi6.

[0047] In one embodiment, a three-dimensional model is established based on the patient's skull CT / MRI data, and the true terahertz absorption spectrum of the brain tissue is reconstructed through an inverse problem algorithm.

[0048] In one embodiment, the slope changes of the terahertz absorption coefficient and refractive index in a specific frequency band are extracted to quantify the local water content, and the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is combined to detect the ion vibration characteristics inside and outside cells to distinguish between vasogenic and cytotoxic edema.

[0049] In one embodiment, the terahertz data of clinically diagnosed patients and the corresponding MRI / CT image labels are collected to establish an edema grading database, a convolutional neural network is designed to process the time-frequency domain spectrogram, and a long short-term memory network is used to analyze the time series evolution, and the edema risk score is fused and output.

[0050] When the present invention is in operation: the headband 11 is wound around the head so that the mounting shell 31 is located in front of the forehead. At the back of the head, the headband 11 is fixed to the head by the first sub - velcro 13 cooperating with the first mother - velcro 14, and the flexible probe 20 is fitted into the placement groove 17 of the headband 11 so that the flexible probe 20 adheres to key areas such as the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe. The flexible probe 20 is connected and fixed to the headband 11 through the third mother - velcro 26 and the third sub - velcro 18 of the headband 11. Then, the fixing band 12 is passed through the fixing buckle 102, and the fixing of the fixing band 12 is completed by the second sub - velcro 15 cooperating with the second mother - velcro 16, so that the fixing band 12 is located on the top of the head to fix the headband 11 and prevent the headband 11 from sliding down naturally. The micro air pump 27 is started to fill the airbag 25 so that the airbag 25 fills the gap between the flexible probe 20 and the scalp, ensuring close contact with the scalp and reducing signal loss caused by air gaps. After wearing, the scanning mode is switched through the button 33. When the patient is stationary, high - frequency scanning is started, and when moving, it is switched to the low - frequency mode to reduce motion artifacts. The miniaturized quantum - cascade laser 23 is used as the emission source to generate low - frequency terahertz waves to enhance the ability to penetrate the skull. The highly sensitive pyroelectric detector 24 combined with the lock - in amplification technology is used to improve the weak - signal detection ability, continuously collect the terahertz spectral signals of different regions of the brain tissue, analyze the spatio - temporal changes of water content and ion concentration, construct an edema heat map, cooperate with the FPGA chip 35 for real - time signal acquisition and pre - processing, and then transfer the data to a mobile terminal or a cloud server for interaction.

[0051] As described above, it is only the specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention can easily think of various changes or substitutions, and these should all be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy, characterized in that: It includes a wearing mechanism (10), a flexible probe (20) and a processing unit (30); The wearing mechanism (10) is wound around the patient's head for fixing the flexible probe (20) and the processing unit (30) on the patient's head to monitor the change of brain edema; The flexible probes (20) are array-mounted inside the wearing mechanism (10). The flexible probes (20) are in contact with the patient's head, and the degree of edema is reflected by analyzing the change of water content in the brain tissue; The processing unit (30) is mounted on one side of the wearing mechanism (10) for real-time signal acquisition and spectral preprocessing.

2. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wearing mechanism (10) includes a headband (11), a first male snap fastener (13) and a first female snap fastener (14). Both the first male snap fastener (13) and the first female snap fastener (14) are fixedly connected to one side of the headband (11). Two placement grooves (17) are formed inside the headband (11), and third male snap fasteners (18) are symmetrically and fixedly connected inside the placement grooves (17).

3. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 2, wherein: A soft pad (19) is fixedly connected inside the headband (11), and ventilation holes (101) are equidistantly distributed inside the soft pad (19).

4. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 2, wherein: A fixing buckle (102) is fixedly connected to one side of the headband (11), and a fixing strap (12) is fixedly connected to one side of the top of the headband (11). A second male snap fastener (15) and a second female snap fastener (16) are respectively fixedly connected to one side of the fixing strap (12).

5. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 2, wherein: The flexible probe (20) includes a flexible silicone substrate (21), a miniaturized quantum cascade laser (23) and a high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector (24). Both the miniaturized quantum cascade laser (23) and the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector (24) are mounted on one side of the flexible silicone substrate (21). A separator (22) is provided between the miniaturized quantum cascade laser (23) and the high-sensitivity pyroelectric detector (24). The separator (22) is fixedly connected to the flexible silicone substrate (21). Third female snap fasteners (26) are symmetrically and fixedly connected to one side of the flexible silicone substrate (21).

6. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 5, wherein: An airbag (25) is mounted on one side of the flexible silicone substrate (21), and a mini air pump (27) is fixedly connected inside the flexible silicone substrate (21). The air outlet of the mini air pump (27) is communicated with the airbag (25).

7. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 5, characterized in that: A near-infrared spectroscopy sensor (28) and an inertial measurement unit (29) are respectively mounted on one side of the flexible silicone substrate (21).

8. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 2, wherein: The processing unit (30) includes a mounting shell (31) and an FPGA chip (35). The FPGA chip (35) is mounted inside the mounting shell (31). A wireless transmission module (34) and a data storage module (36) are respectively mounted inside the mounting shell (31).

9. The portable intelligent monitoring device for brain tissue edema based on terahertz spectroscopy according to claim 8, wherein: A display screen (32) is mounted on one side of the mounting shell (31), and two buttons (33) are mounted on one side of the mounting shell (31).

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