Apparatus and methods for acoustic rhinometry
First Claim
1. An apparatus for measuring cross sections in a patient'"'"'s right and left nose cavity in the cavity behind the nose separation, and in the patient'"'"'s throat, and/or for detecting an opening of the patient'"'"'s Eustachian tube, the apparatus comprising:
- an electro-acoustic sound emitter, a first transmission tube extending from the emitter to a first termination piece, a first nose piece for connecting the first termination piece to a first nostril of the patient, a proximal microphone located adjacent the emitter and/or a first microphone located in the first termination piece, and a computer for generating electrical signals for the emitter and for sampling and analyzing electrical signals from the first microphone, the apparatus further comprising a releasable second acoustic transmission tube extending from the emitter in an opposite direction to the first acoustic transmission tube, hereby constituting a elongation of said first transmission tube past the emitter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to an apparatus for measuring cross sections in a patient'"'"'s right and left nose cavity in the cavity behind the nose separation (epipharyn), and in the throat (oropharynx), and for detecting the opening of the Eustachian tube. The apparatus comprises an electro-acoustic sound emitter, a first transmission tube leading from the emitter to a first connecting piece, connecting means for connecting the first connecting piece to a patient'"'"'s one nostril, a proximal microphone located adjacent the emitter and/or a first microphone built into the first connecting piece, and a computer for generating electrical signals for the emitter and for sampling and analyzing electrical signals from the microphone or microphones. According to the invention the apparatus further comprises a preferably releasable second acoustic transmission tube leading from the emitter in an opposite direction of the first acoustic transmission tube, hereby constituting an elongation of this pass the emitter. The invention further relates to a method for measuring the above-mentioned cross sections.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. An apparatus for measuring cross sections in a patient'"'"'s right and left nose cavity in the cavity behind the nose separation, and in the patient'"'"'s throat, and/or for detecting an opening of the patient'"'"'s Eustachian tube, the apparatus comprising:
- an electro-acoustic sound emitter, a first transmission tube extending from the emitter to a first termination piece, a first nose piece for connecting the first termination piece to a first nostril of the patient, a proximal microphone located adjacent the emitter and/or a first microphone located in the first termination piece, and a computer for generating electrical signals for the emitter and for sampling and analyzing electrical signals from the first microphone, the apparatus further comprising a releasable second acoustic transmission tube extending from the emitter in an opposite direction to the first acoustic transmission tube, hereby constituting a elongation of said first transmission tube past the emitter.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for measuring cross sections in a patient'"'"'s right and left nose cavity) in the cavity behind the nose separation and in the throat, the method comprising:
- emitting a first acoustic signal from a sound emitter, leading the first acoustic signal along two substantially preferably equally long acoustic transmission tubes to respective nostrils of the patient, receiving a second acoustic signal, reflected from the patient'"'"'s nostril, by means of one or more microphones located in the acoustic transmission tubes, and leading the first and the second acoustic signal to a computer which performs a data analysis of the signals and their differences for achieving an expression for the cross sections of the patients respiratory passages.
- View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A method for determining the length of the nose separation (septum nasi) in a patient, the method comprising:
- emitting an acoustic signal from a sound emitter, leading the acoustic signal to the patient'"'"'s first nostril, sampling the acoustic signal through a microphone connected to the patient'"'"'s second nostril, and determining the time difference from the first nostril to the second nostril.
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12. A method for detecting opening of the Eustachian tube in a patient by means of an apparatus according to the invention, the method comprising emitting an acoustic signal from a sound emitter, leading the acoustic signal to the patients nostril, sampling the acoustic signal through one or more microphones connected to one or both ears of the patients, and determining whether the level of the sampled acoustic signal from the microphones exceeds a predetermined value or is changed.
Specification