We will design and build a practical and clinically useable instrument for the non-invasive measurement of intracranial pressure (ICP) in newborns and infants. In the newborn infant, increased ICP often indicates neurological disorder. Accurately measuring increased ICP can provide the physician with timely information for diagnosing and treating these disorders as well as information relating to causes of increased ICP in infants. Increased ICP may be a result of congenital disorders, trauma, infection, etc. Because invasive measurements of ICP in an infant can be a traumatic event, a reliable non-invasive means is needed. This instrument will use the applanation principal. It will employ a new kind of low pressure range miniature sensor. The pressure sensor and related electronics will provide a means for determining whether the fontanelle is truly applanated. Continuous measurements of the applanation as well as a trend of the measured pressure and its instantaneous value will be displayed.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:An instrument consisting of a new miniature sensor and a related modestly priced data acquisition and display system for the measurement of intracranial pressure in newborns will have a worldwide market. Second generation instruments for the noninvasive measurement of pressure in hydrocephalus shunts would have a similar market.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
