This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will result in the first hand-held, non-invasive device for measuring pressure within the head and brain. The proposed device will be a simple sensor that can be placed against the skin and that will determine brain pressure from the ?pulse? within blood vessels traveling to and from the head. Pulse wave analysis is an established technique for monitoring cardiovascular health, but this is the first time such a technique will be developed for monitoring pressure within the skull and brain. Preliminary studies by NeuroDx suggest that the technique may be useful as a way of rapidly screening patients for potentially harmful elevated head and brain pressure.
The broader impacts of this research will be to provide a new method for measuring an important determinant of brain health following serious head injury (235,000 non-military cases in the U.S. annually) and in patients with brain tumors and other neurological disorders (110,000 cases in the U.S. annually). Existing methods for measuring pressure within the head use a probe that must be placed within the skull, requiring surgery and special facilities. The proposed device will enable head and brain pressure to be monitored without risk to the patient, and in field situations (such as by first-responders). The proposed study is expected to significantly improve our understanding of the dynamics of head and brain injury. It will have a strong educational component through Drexel University?s Co-op Educational Program.
