Head-stabilized medical apparatus, system and methodology

• US 7,892,180 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vesticon-Bsi, LLC
• Original Assignee: Epley Research, LLC
• Inventors: Epley, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOEKSTRA, JEFFREY GERBEN
• Application Number:
  US11/714,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20070161875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/372, 600/382, 600/384, 600/393, 600/522, 600/552, 600/559, 600/560, 600/561, 600/587, 600/595, 600/558
• US Class Current: 600/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4023 Evaluating sense of balance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4863 Measuring or inducing nystagmus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Structure and methodology involving mountable and head-wearable frame structure which is positionally stabilized, during use, relative a human subject'"'"'s head, and which carries a selection of positionally anchored data sensors, and stimuli deliverers, that are relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of vestibular disorders. Special configurations are provided for two types of stimulators, one for sound application and air-pressure modification, and the other for the introduction of fluids to the ear. Stabilization enables tight and accurate correlation of data which is quickly analyzable by a connected, properly algorithmed computer, which can also be used for feedback control in a designed “expert” system. The invention enables, among other things, practical and significant differentiation between physiological and pathological nystagmus.

Claims

1. A method for preparing vestibular-response data for useful analysis regarding a desired diagnosis and prospective treatment of a subject'"'"'s related vestibular disorder comprising:

coupling an eye-enclosing, ambient light-excluding flame structure to and in a positionally stable non-relative-motion condition with a subject'"'"'s head, wherein the frame structure includes a likewise positionally stable electronic video image-collecting sensor apparatus anchored thereto and positioned to observe one or both of the subject'"'"'s eyes;

applying to the subject a vestibular-response-inducing stimulus and producing a data record corresponding to the applied stimulus;

collecting from the subject, concurrently with the applied stimulus, data indicating the subject'"'"'s detectable vestibular-response relative to the applied stimulus;

collecting from a geographical direction sensor data indicating a spatial position of the subject'"'"'s head;

producing a record corresponding to the vestibular-response data, wherein the vestibular-response data am thereafter selectively correlateable, whether individually or plurally, with respective corresponding contemporaneously-produced data of the stimulus data record; and

electronically analyzing, by a computer, the vestibular-response data and the geographical direction sensor data relative to one or more characteristics of the applied stimulus to evaluate the subject'"'"'s related vestibular disorder.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting data indicating the subject'"'"'s detectable vestibular-response comprises capturing, utilizing the electronic video image-collecting sensor apparatus, images of subject nystagmus behavior.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

utilizing the electronic video image-collecting device to observe nystagmus behavior while simultaneously delivering selected liquid to the ear employing a fluid-flow structure coupled with the ear.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing a controller for controlling the delivery of liquid to the ear by the fluid-flow structure, and affecting the controlling operation of the controller by utilizing data derived from observations of simultaneously observable nystagmus behavior made by the electronic video image-collecting device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying, by vector analysis of the collected nystagmus data relative to contemporaneously produced stimulus data, one or more originating semicircular canals of an observed nystagmus response.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is applied to the subject'"'"'s head by a stimulus apparatus operatively coupled in a non-relative motion condition with the subject'"'"'s head.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stimulus is applied using a stimulus apparatus comprises one or more selected from among (a) a sound deliverer, (b) an air-pressure modifier operatively coupled with the ear, (c) a fluid-flow structure operatively coupled with the ear, (d) a light-emitting structure, (e) a visual image-presenting structure, (f) an evoked-potential electrode structure, (g) a galvanic stimulus structure, (h) a caloric stimulus structure, and (i) a vibration-generating structure.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

depicting at a display device a graphical representation of the subject'"'"'s eye, wherein the graphical representation depicts movement of the subject'"'"'s eye corresponding to actual movement of the subject'"'"'s eye in one or more of a lineal axis and a rotational axis.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing the stimulus data, differentially identifying and isolating physiologic components of the collected vestibular-response data from any pathologic components thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the vestibular-response-inducing stimulus comprises altering a spatial orientation of the subject'"'"'s semicircular canals relative to a previously existing spatial orientation thereof along one or more axes of movement.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

depicting at a visual display device a graphical representation of an actual spatial orientation of one or more of the subject'"'"'s semicircular canals, wherein a change in the depicted spatial orientation corresponds to a change in the actual spatial orientation of the subject'"'"'s one or more semicircular canals.

12. The method of claim 1, enabling selection of a graphically-depicted, time-specific component of recorded data corresponding to a nystagmus response, wherein the selection causes a display device to graphically depict a time-specific orientation of one or more of the subject'"'"'s semicircular canals sensed contemporaneously with the nystagmus response component.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein either or both of applying the vestibular-response-inducing stimulus and collecting the vestibular-response data is performed under computer control.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

securely coupling plural devices with a retention structure and securely coupling the retention structure with the subject'"'"'s head, wherein appreciable relative motion is prevented between the plural devices, between the retention structure and the plural devices, and between the retention structure and the subject'"'"'s head, and wherein the plural devices are selected from among vestibular-response-inducing devices and vestibular-response sensing devices.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by a computing device, an instruction indicating a target orientation for one or more of a subject'"'"'s semicircular canals, and repositioning the subject to achieve the target orientation.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from a computing device indicating a target orientation for one or more of a subject'"'"'s semicircular canals, repositioning the subject to achieve the target orientation, and receiving confirmation from the computing device that the target orientation has been achieved.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic video image-collecting device is an infrared camera.