PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Hydrocephalus: Sensors monitor cerebral pressure

2014-01-21
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Michael Görtz
Michael.Goertz@ims.fraunhofer.de
49-203-378-3122
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Hydrocephalus: Sensors monitor cerebral pressure

Urinary incontinence, a shuffling gait, and deteriorating reasoning skills are all indicators pointing to a Parkinsonian or Alzheimer type disease. An equally plausible explanation is hydrocephalus, commonly known as "water on the brain." With this diagnosis, the brain produces either too much cerebral fluid, or it cannot "drain off" these fluids with adequate sufficiency. The consequence: Pressure in the brain rises sharply, resulting in damage. A shunt system – a kind of silicon tube that physicians implant into the patient's brain, provides relief. It draws off superfluous fluid from there, for example, into the abdominal cavity. The heart of this shunt system is a valve: If the pressure increases above a threshold value, then the valve opens; if it declines again, then the valve closes.

In rare cases, over-drainage may occur. The cerebral pressure lowers too much, the cerebral ventricles are virtually squeezed out. Until now, physicians could only detect and verify such over-drainage through elaborate and costly computer and magnetic resonance tomography.

Cerebral pressure measurable anytime

With a new kind of sensor, things are different: If it is implanted into the patient's brain with the shunt system, the physicians could read out brain pressure using a hand-held meter: within seconds, anytime and without complex investigation. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS in Duisburg, working jointly with Christoph Miethke GmbH and Aesculap AG, engineered these sensors.

If the patient complains of discomfort, then the physician merely needs to place the hand- held meter outside, on the patient's head. The device sends magnetic radio waves and supplies the sensor in the shunt with power- the implant is "awakened," measures tem- perature and pressure in the cerebral fluid, and transmits these data back to the handheld device. If the pressure on the outside of the desired area, the physician can set the valve on the shunt system from the outside as needed, and individually adjusted to the patient. "The sensor is an active implant, which also takes over measurement functions, in contrast to a stent or a tooth implant," says Michael Görtz, head of pressure sensor technology at IMS.

The implant must be biocompatible; the body cannot reject it. Researchers had to ensure that the body also would not attack the implant. "The defense response behaves just like an aggressive medium, that would even dilute the silicon of the electronics over the course of time," explains Görtz. Miethke therefore completely encases the implant into a thin metal casing. "We can still supply it with power from the outside through the metal casing, measure cerebral pressure through the housing and transmit the recorded data outside, through the metal to the reader," Görtz explains. To do so, the correct metal had to be found. The coating may not be thicker than the walls of a soft drink can – in other words, much thinner than one millimeter. The researchers even developed the handheld reading device, together with the electronics, through which it communicates with the sensor.

The sensor is ready for serial production, and was already approved by Miethke. The company has already initiated the market launch of the system. "The sensor sets the basis for the further development through to theranostic implants – a neologism derived from the words "therapy" and "diagnostic." In a few years, the sensor could then not only record cerebral pressure and develop a diagnosis on the basis of this, but also properly adjust the pressure independently, immediately on its own and thus, take over the therapy process," says Görtz.



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Micropredators dictate occurrence of deadly amphibian disease

2014-01-21
Micropredators dictate occurrence of deadly amphibian disease A new study raises hope to successfully fight the chytrid amphibian pathogen This news release is available in German. Leipzig: An international team of researchers has made ...

Bio-inspired robotic device could aid ankle-foot rehabilitation, CMU researcher says

2014-01-21
Bio-inspired robotic device could aid ankle-foot rehabilitation, CMU researcher says Unlike rigid exoskeletons, soft wearable robot enables natural motions PITTSBURGH—A soft, wearable device that mimics the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the lower leg could ...

Training your brain using neurofeedback

2014-01-21
Training your brain using neurofeedback A new brain-imaging technique for a true brain workout A new brain-imaging technique enables people to 'watch' their own brain activity in real time and to control or adjust function in pre-determined brain regions. The study from ...

New study finds mistimed sleep disrupts rhythms of genes in humans

2014-01-21
New study finds mistimed sleep disrupts rhythms of genes in humans A new study from the University of Surrey, published today in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), found that the daily rhythms of our genes are disrupted when sleep times shift. Researchers ...

Hospital water taps contaminated with bacteria

2014-01-21
Hospital water taps contaminated with bacteria Additional research needed to uncover how water contamination threatens patient safety New research finds significantly higher levels of infectious pathogens in water from faucet taps with aerators ...

Frog fathers don't mind dropping off their tadpoles in cannibal-infested pools

2014-01-21
Frog fathers don't mind dropping off their tadpoles in cannibal-infested pools Male dyeing poison frogs make seemingly strange parental decisions in depositing tadpoles in not-so-safe havens Given a choice, male dyeing poison frogs snub empty pools in favor of ones ...

Novel nanotherapy breakthrough may help reduce recurrent heart attacks and stroke

2014-01-21
Novel nanotherapy breakthrough may help reduce recurrent heart attacks and stroke Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai designs HDL nanoparticle to deliver statin medication inside inflamed blood vessels to prevent repeat ...

Different sponge species have highly specific, stable microbiomes, MBL team reports

2014-01-21
Different sponge species have highly specific, stable microbiomes, MBL team reports WOODS HOLE, Mass. —The sea sponge is about as simple as an animal can get, but its associated bacterial community—its microbiome —is known to approach the complexity of the diverse ...

British Muslims with diabetes need more healthcare support during Ramadan

2014-01-21
British Muslims with diabetes need more healthcare support during Ramadan British Muslims with diabetes may avoid attending GP surgeries to discuss fasting during the holy month of Ramadan with potentially serious consequences for their future health, ...

Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less

2014-01-21
Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less In Europe as well as worldwide, cocaine is the second most frequently used drug after cannabis. Chronic cocaine users display worse memory performance, concentration difficulties, and attentional deficits but also ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Modesty and boastfulness – perception depends on usual performance

Do sweeteners increase your appetite? New evidence from randomised controlled trial says no 

Women with obesity do not need to gain weight during pregnancy, new study suggests

Individuals with multiple sclerosis face substantially greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccination

Study shows obesity in childhood associated with a more than doubling of risk of developing multiple sclerosis in early adulthood

Rice Emerging Scholars Program receives $2.5M NSF grant to boost STEM education

Virtual rehabilitation provides benefits for stroke recovery

Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests

NJIT research team discovering how fluids behave in nanopores with NSF grant

New study shows association of historical housing discrimination and shortfalls in colon cancer treatment

Social media use may help to empower plastic surgery patients

Q&A: How to train AI when you don't have enough data

Wayne State University researchers uncover potential treatment targets for Zika virus-related eye abnormalities

Discovering Van Gogh in the wild: scientists unveil a new gecko species

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia

Imaging detects transient “hypoxic pockets” in the mouse brain

Dissolved organic matter could be used to track and improve the health of freshwaters

Indoor air quality standards in public buildings would boost health and economy, say international experts

Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

New imaging method illuminates oxygen's journey in the brain

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

Bidirectional link between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

Cell division quality control ‘stopwatch’ uncovered

Vaccine protects cattle from bovine tuberculosis, may eliminate disease

Andrew Siemion to receive the SETI Institute’s 2024 Drake Award

New study shows how the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus enters our cells

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy proves effective for locally advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma

Study flips treatment paradigm in bilateral Wilms tumor, shows resistance to chemotherapy may point toward favorable outcomes

[Press-News.org] Hydrocephalus: Sensors monitor cerebral pressure