ABR Click-Chirp Diagnosis for Early Cochlear Hydrops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing Meniere's disease, such as CHAMP, are laborious and have lower sensitivity and specificity for early-stage patients, and existing tests can be uncomfortable and lengthy for the patient.
Innovation Solution
A system using an acoustic stimulus generating unit to provide click and chirp audio stimuli, recording auditory brain-stem responses, and a diagnostic unit to analyze these responses for diagnosing cochlear hydrops, which simplifies the process and improves diagnostic accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If CHAMP method is used to diagnose cochlear hydrops, then sensitivity and specificity are improved for full-blown Meniere's disease, but sensitivity and specificity deteriorate for early stage Meniere's and the procedure becomes laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the diagnostic process by using separate audio stimuli (click and chirp) with distinct frequency characteristics to probe different aspects of cochlear function. This segmentation allows independent analysis of low-frequency and high-frequency response characteristics, simplifying the overall diagnostic procedure while maintaining accuracy for detecting endolymphatic hydrops
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the stimulus parameters by using both click (broadband) and chirp (frequency-modulated) stimuli with different temporal and spectral characteristics. This parameter variation enables detection of hydrops across different frequency ranges and disease stages, improving diagnostic sensitivity while maintaining procedure simplicity through automated analysis
2Reliability
If multiple masked conditions are used in CHAMP, then diagnostic coverage is improved, but averaging time and test duration are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential diagnostic information by using unmasked audio stimuli rather than requiring multiple masked conditions. The click and chirp stimuli directly elicit auditory brainstem responses that can be analyzed for hydrops detection without the need for masking noise, thereby reducing test duration while maintaining diagnostic reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary diagnostic assessment using simple click and chirp stimuli before potentially proceeding to more complex masked conditions. This preliminary action using unmasked stimuli provides rapid initial diagnosis for many patients, reducing overall test duration while maintaining coverage for detecting hydrops
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a faster, more comfortable, and more accurate diagnosis of cochlear hydrops by analyzing response characteristics to click and chirp audio stimuli, reducing the need for multiple masked conditions and shortening averaging time.
Implementation Method 1
an output transducer... so that audio from the acoustic stimulus generating unit may be output from the headset at the ear(s) of the person or animal
Implementation Method 2
a recording unit configured to record one or more auditory electrophysiological responses of the person or animal
Data Source
AI summary
The present application relates to a system for diagnosing cochlear hydrops of a person or an animal. The system comprises an acoustic stimulus generating unit comprising a stimulus generator and an output transducer, where the acoustic stimulus generating unit is configured to provide an audio stimulus by the stimulus generator to at least one of the ears of the person or animal via the output transducer, wherein the acoustic stimulus generating unit is configured to provide a plurality of audio stimuli comprising at least a first click audio stimulus and a first chirp audio stimulus or at least a first and a second chirp audio stimuli, a recording unit configured to record one or more auditory electrophysiological response of the person or animal in response to the one or more audio stimulus being provided by the acoustic stimulus generating unit to at least one of the ears of the person or animal, and a diagnostic unit configured to process the recorded ABR.