Noninvasive Detection of Elevated Intracranial Pressure Using Tympanic Membrane Pulse

Abstract

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) can lead to serious health complications. Hence, this pressure needs to be monitored in patients at risk of increased ICP. The gold standard for ICP measurements are invasive manometers and pressure transducers [1] . However, the risks, discomforts, and expenses of invasive diagnostic can be avoided if satisfactory non-invasive approaches are used. In this presentation, a noninvasive method of monitoring ICP utilizing measurements of Tympanic Membrane pulsation (TMp) is discussed. TMp signals were acquired from 5 healthy subjects at different tilt positions where ICP is expected to increase with head-down positioning. Consistent TMp waveform morphological changes were observed in each subject with the head down position, which is known to increase ICP [2] . The changes tended to reverse with hyperventilation, which is a process known to decrease ICP [3] . These results suggest that TMp waveform measurements may provide a reliable non-invasive method for monitoring ICP.