Expandable Nasal Stimulation Member for Headache Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for headache disorders such as cluster headaches and migraines lack effective, non-invasive methods, with existing therapies often being invasive and causing severe complications, and there is a need for a technology that can target specific pain areas in the nasal cavity to alleviate symptoms.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an expandable stimulation member that can be introduced into the nasal cavity to abut against tissue, with a frequency and amplitude regulating module to control vibrations, and a pressure module to adjust the pressure of the stimulation, allowing for targeted vibratory stimulation of specific areas like the sphenopalatine ganglion and hypothalamus to reduce pain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If invasive surgical therapies are used to treat headache disorders, then pain relief can be achieved, but severe complications occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive surgical therapies with non-invasive vibratory stimulation. Instead of using surgical interventions that physically alter or destroy tissue, the system uses mechanical vibrations applied through the nasal cavity to modulate neural activity and achieve pain relief, thereby eliminating the harmful complications associated with surgery while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using the nasal cavity as a access point for vibratory stimulation. Rather than directly invading the brain or performing complex surgery, the system uses the nasal cavity as a mediator to deliver controlled vibrations to target structures, achieving pain relief through this intermediate non-invasive route
2Reliability
If chemical or surgically destructive procedures are used for treatment, then acute phase symptoms can be managed, but long-term protective interventions are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic vibratory stimulation as a long-term protective intervention. Instead of one-time chemical or surgical treatments, the system uses repeated cycles of vibratory stimulation that can be applied over extended periods, providing both acute symptom management and long-term protective effects through this periodic non-invasive approach
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous or repeated application of vibratory stimulation to maintain therapeutic effects. The system can be used repeatedly over time to provide both acute relief and long-term protection, unlike chemical or surgically destructive procedures that do not offer sustained protective interventions
3Reliability
If existing headache treatments are used, then pain relief can be achieved, but the methods are not targeted to specific pain areas in the nasal cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by directing vibratory stimulation to specific target structures within the nasal cavity, such as the sphenopalatine ganglion and hypothalamus. Instead of non-specific pain relief, the system uses localized vibrations at precise anatomical locations to achieve targeted pain management, thereby improving both effectiveness and targeting accuracy
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 non-invasive method to reduce pain in headache disorders by delivering controlled vibrations to specific areas of the nasal cavity, effectively alleviating symptoms and offering a potential long-lasting solution for patients.
Implementation Method 1
impart vibrations to the nasal cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A method for treatment of a headache disorder in a human subject including introducing a stimulation member, arranged in a non-expanded state, into a first nasal cavity of the human subject, expanding the stimulation member so that it abuts against tissue of the first nasal cavity at a first pressure in a range between 80 and 100 mbar, and imparting vibrations to the tissue of the first nasal cavity at a first frequency in a range between 70 and 100 Hz for a first duration.