Other

Weining Hu

Yi Zheng

Qi Wu

Shun Zhang

Anna Zheng

Eugene Zheng

Hui Jiang

A system and method to screen for malignant gliomas, other brain tumors, and brain injuries use disturbance coefficient, differential impedances, and artificial neural networks. The system uses prescribed excitation signals with several system configurations to measure the differential impedances, calculate harmonic responses and nonlinearity of brain tissue, and estimate the disturbance coefficient that indicates the likelihood of malignant gliomas, other brain tumors, and brain injuries. The disturbance coefficient is a weighted sum of many parameters such as receiving differential impedances, transmission differential impedances, harmonic responses, frequency dispersion, and nonlinear responses using different system configurations and different excitation signals. The method includes arranging the transmitters, receivers, and transmission lines to maximize the sensitivity of detecting brain tissue condition. The artificial neural network is trained to estimate the disturbance coefficient using clinical data. The method provides a sensitive and cost effective approach for screening malignant gliomas, other brain tumors, and brain injuries.

Screening of malignant glioma, brain tumors, and brain injuries using disturbance coefficient, differential impedances, and artificial neural network

The present invention describes a system and methods to monitor hydrocephalus and cerebral edema in noninvasive or minimum invasive ways. The system monitors the changes of electromagnetic wave propagations in brain tissues changed by the tissue pathological statues. One of the tissue properties monitored is the tissue permittivity that determines the wave propagation velocity. By avoiding the tissue conductivity that has variations due to many different reasons including non-pathological factors, this approach has advantages of acquiring reliable pathological information of brain tissue and being independent to electrode properties and skin conditions. Several parameters are defined to quantitatively measure and assess hydrocephalus and cerebral edema: relative phase shift (RPS), travel-time difference (TTD), and change of relative wave velocity. The parameters are defined and normalized in distance and time for measuring relative changes for the monitoring applications. The method includes non-invasive and minimum invasive approaches. Amplitude modulated wave and coded waves are used to reduce interference and effectively detect small changes of tissue properties in preferred frequency ranges.

Noninvasive monitoring hydrocephalus, cerebral edema, and intracranial bleeding using electromagnetic wave propagation properties

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Cold Spring, MN, United States of America

Weining Hu