Non Invasive Assessment of Intracranial Pressure and Cerebrovascular Status after Traumatic Brain Injury

We will construct a non-invasive, portable, diagnostic ultrasound unit that will enable clinicians to determine which soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury have increased intracranial pressure (ICP), or adverse cerebral hemodynamics indicating conditions such as vasospasm. This device will help diagnose and monitor those soldiers in need of clinical management. The expertise and intellectual property of Spencer Technologies will be applied to this development work based on: a commercial device we have been selling for seven years, further uncommercialized innovation accomplished in that same time frame, and technology licensed to Spencer Technologies for noninvasive assessment of intracranial pressure. This latter element, the technique of Ragauskas for measurement of ICP, has been explored clinically in early prototypes, and proof of concept has been established[1]. Our proposal is to demonstrate feasibility for this device, with intended battlefield use. The impacts of this technology will be: ICP assessment will become a clinical screening tool and a broader population of patients will benefit than does with the current invasive method in which the skull must be penetrated with a pressure sensing probe. [1] 11 Acta Neurochirurgica Supplementum, Supplement 95: Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring XII. ISBN 3-211-24338-4, ISSN 0085-1419. Vienna, 2005, p. 357-361.