Method for detecting brain microhemorrhage
First Claim
1. In the process of medically examining a person'"'"'s head by projecting ultrasound into the head, the improvement comprising detecting abnormal very slow progressive brain displacement relative to the cranium over a period of a few minutes caused by continuing intracranial bleeding, by transmitting a series of successive ultrasound bursts separated by short delays into the head for a period of a few minutes, including a first burst of ultrasound into the head along a predetermined path, detecting a first echo pattern composed of ultrasound of the first burst reflected from brain at different depths along such predetermined path corresponding to different selected time intervals after transmission of the first burst, after a short delay transmitting a second burst of ultrasound into the head along the same predetermined path as the first burst, detecting a second echo pattern produced by ultrasound of the second burst reflected from brain at the same different depths along such predetermined path as used in producing the first burst echo pattern by utilizing the same different time intervals after transmission of the second burst as used in detecting the first echo pattern, and comparing the second echo pattern resulting from the second burst with the first echo pattern resulting from the first burst for determining any chance indicating abnormal displacement of brain relative to the cranium lengthwise of the ultrasound predetermined path between the first and second bursts of ultrasound.
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Abstract
Continued bleeding into a pocket or hematoma in the cranium could exert pressure on the brain which would move it relative to the cranium to force the brain stem into the medulla oblongata to arrest breathing. Such brain micromovement is detected by projecting bursts of ultrasound into one or both of the temple areas of the cranium or into the medulla oblongata, and the readout of echoes received from different depths is displayed on a screen. The readout of the echoes indicates continued microshifts of the brain relative to the cranium. To differentiate microshifts of the brain relative to the cranium caused by continued intracranial bleeding as distinguished from pulsations of the brain relative to the cranium caused by supply of blood to the brain from the heart and return of blood from the brain to the heart, the timing of the bursts of ultrasound into the cranium is synchronized with the pulse indicated by a heart pulse monitor.
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Citations
11 Claims
- 1. In the process of medically examining a person'"'"'s head by projecting ultrasound into the head, the improvement comprising detecting abnormal very slow progressive brain displacement relative to the cranium over a period of a few minutes caused by continuing intracranial bleeding, by transmitting a series of successive ultrasound bursts separated by short delays into the head for a period of a few minutes, including a first burst of ultrasound into the head along a predetermined path, detecting a first echo pattern composed of ultrasound of the first burst reflected from brain at different depths along such predetermined path corresponding to different selected time intervals after transmission of the first burst, after a short delay transmitting a second burst of ultrasound into the head along the same predetermined path as the first burst, detecting a second echo pattern produced by ultrasound of the second burst reflected from brain at the same different depths along such predetermined path as used in producing the first burst echo pattern by utilizing the same different time intervals after transmission of the second burst as used in detecting the first echo pattern, and comparing the second echo pattern resulting from the second burst with the first echo pattern resulting from the first burst for determining any chance indicating abnormal displacement of brain relative to the cranium lengthwise of the ultrasound predetermined path between the first and second bursts of ultrasound.
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