Handheld Palate Shock Wave Applicator for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for treating the brain with acoustic shock waves or pressure pulses are either invasive, requiring surgical access, or non-invasive methods that are unpredictable due to the variability in skull thickness, leading to potential brain trauma from increased energy levels.
Innovation Solution
A handheld device that emits pressure pulses or shock waves at an inclined angle, coupled with a balloon or lens to direct the energy through the palate to the brain, avoiding the skull structure, using electrohydraulic, electromagnetic, or piezoelectric wave emissions, and allowing for adjustable energy density to stimulate neuronal cells without causing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If non-invasive methods are used to transmit shock waves through the skull, then the treatment is simpler and less invasive, but the energy transmission is highly unpredictable and may cause brain trauma
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the shock wave transmission path from the traditional trans-skull route and redirects it through the nasal cavity and brainstem pathway. This bypasses the unpredictable skull bone barrier while maintaining non-invasive treatment simplicity, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces the nasal cavity as an intermediary transmission medium between the external applicator and the brain. This soft tissue pathway serves as a reliable mediator that provides consistent energy transmission without the variability inherent in trans-skull transmission, while keeping the treatment non-invasive.
2Reliability
If energy levels are increased to overcome skull thickness variability, then transmission through bone may be improved, but the risk of brain trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the harmful interaction between high energy levels and the skull bone by extracting the transmission path from the trans-skull route. This eliminates the need to increase energy levels to overcome bone variability, thereby preventing brain trauma while maintaining effective transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the transmission medium parameter from hard bone tissue to soft nasal cavity tissue. This parameter change allows effective energy transmission at lower, safer energy levels, eliminating the need to increase energy to the dangerous levels required for trans-skull transmission.
3Reliability
If invasive surgical access is used to expose the organ, then superior access and unobstructed wave path are provided, but the procedure becomes more complex and requires surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses the nasal cavity as a natural intermediary pathway that provides reliable access to the brainstem and deep brain structures without requiring surgical intervention. This intermediary route maintains superior tissue access while eliminating surgical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical surgical access system with a non-invasive acoustic transmission system through the nasal cavity. This substitution maintains effective access to target tissues while eliminating the complexity and risks associated with surgical procedures.
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
This method allows for effective, non-invasive treatment of the brain with controlled energy density, stimulating neuronal growth or regeneration for various neurological disorders while minimizing the risk of trauma or hemorrhaging, providing a predictable and safe treatment option.
Implementation Method 1
The shock wave head generates shock wave by either electrohydraulic, electromagnetic, piezoelectric or ballistic wave emissions
Implementation Method 2
The shock wave head generates shock wave by either electrohydraulic, electromagnetic, piezoelectric or ballistic wave emissions
Implementation Method 3
The shock wave head generates shock wave by either electrohydraulic, electromagnetic, piezoelectric or ballistic wave emissions
Implementation Method 4
The lens or membrane is configured to be coupled directly or indirectly to an exposed soft tissue surface of a palate inside a patient's mouth to direct emitted pressure pulses or shock waves to the brain
Data Source
AI summary
A handheld acoustic shock wave or pressure pulse applicator device has a body structure and an applicator head. The body structure has a proximal end and a distal end with a longitudinal axis extending between the ends. The applicator head is at the distal end. the head emits pressure pulses or shock waves at an inclined angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the body structure. The applicator head has a balloon or lens or membrane through which the emitted pressure pulses or shock waves pass. The lens or membrane is configured to be coupled directly or indirectly to an exposed soft tissue surface of a palate inside a patient's mouth to direct emitted pressure pulses or shock waves to the brain. The applicator device can be configured with the inclined obtuse angle fixed between 150 degrees and 90 degrees or can be adjustable between 180 degrees and 90 degrees.