Accelerometer-Based BrainPulse Detection for Stroke Diagnosis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current diagnostic methods for stroke, such as CT scans, MRI, and angiography, are invasive, costly, and time-consuming, making it difficult to quickly and accurately detect and differentiate between ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes.
Innovation Solution
A noninvasive system using accelerometers or pressure pulse sensors attached to the head to record skull movements caused by pulsing blood flow, analyzing these signals to detect vascular conditions like aneurysms, stenosis, and ischemic strokes, and using neural networks and ultrasound contrast agents to localize and differentiate these conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If CT scans, MRI, and angiography are used for stroke diagnosis, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but the procedure becomes invasive, costly, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical imaging systems (CT scanners, MRI machines, angiography equipment) with a simple accelerometer-based sensing system. The accelerometer detects skull vibrations caused by pulsing blood flow, and these mechanical vibrations are converted into diagnostic information through signal processing, eliminating the need for expensive and complex imaging equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential diagnostic information (skull vibrations from blood flow pulsing) from the complex imaging procedures. By focusing only on the vibration signals that contain diagnostic value, the system eliminates unnecessary complexity while retaining diagnostic accuracy for detecting stroke types and brain conditions.
2Measurement precision
If advanced imaging systems are used for early stroke detection, then detection capability is improved, but patient condition degrades due to additional time required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces time-consuming imaging systems with a rapid accelerometer-based detection system that can provide diagnostic information in real-time or near-real-time, significantly reducing the time required for stroke diagnosis while maintaining early detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors skull vibrations even before stroke symptoms become severe, enabling early detection and immediate intervention. The accelerometer is positioned to detect subtle changes in blood flow patterns that precede major stroke events, allowing preliminary action to be taken.
3Reliability
If angiography is used to identify vascular conditions, then diagnostic definitiveness is improved, but the procedure becomes invasive and less available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive angiography procedures with a non-invasive accelerometer-based system that detects vascular conditions through skull vibrations. This substitution maintains diagnostic reliability for detecting aneurysms, stenosis, and other vascular abnormalities while making the procedure accessible in routine clinical settings without requiring specialized imaging facilities.
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 enables continuous, noninvasive detection and localization of vascular conditions, allowing for timely and appropriate treatment, including differentiation between ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, thereby improving patient outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
detecting a vascular condition or anomaly noninvasively in the human body... by a collection of signal information received from the skull and originating from pulsing occurring at local, small regions of the vasculature
Implementation Method 2
attaching, or contacting, one or an array of accelerometers or other sensors, to or against the head... and recording signals from acceleration movements of the skull
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2~5
AI summary
Vascular conditions are detected noninvasively in the human body using a collection of information from small local regions of the vasculature, or from a specific signature or "BrainPulse" that can be derived from a patient's heartbeat- induced cranium movements. An array of accelerometers or other sensors are engaged against the head of a patient and skull movements, preferably under 100 Hz, are recorded. Vibration signatures of vessel structures such as branches, aneurysms, stenosis, etc. using random, periodic, band limited or transient analysis provides a library for further processing. The signature library is used to localize the origin of the recognized vascular feature, and the localized feature is presented to the physician in a clinically relevant manner.