Pressure sensing system and method

摘要

A device for detecting rhinitis in a human subject includes an inflatable member that, in a first state, is configured to be introducible into the nasal cavity of the human subject; an expansion member configured to expand the inflatable member to an expanded, second state within the nasal cavity such that the inflatable member abuts against the tissue of the nasal cavity, and a pressure sensing member configured to measure a pressure exerted on the inflatable member by the tissue of the nasal cavity. A system for detecting rhinitis and methods for analyzing tissue response pressure, detecting rhinitis, predicting the efficacy of a planned rhinitis treatment and evaluating the efficacy of a previous rhinitis treatment are provided.

主权项

1. A method for detecting rhinitis, comprising the steps of:
introducing an inflatable member into a nasal cavity of a human subject; expanding the inflatable member within the nasal cavity such that the inflatable member abuts against a tissue of the nasal cavity; measuring a pressure exerted on the inflatable member by the tissue of the nasal cavity over a period of time to create a measured pressure curve; analyzing the measured pressure curve to detect rhinitis, wherein the step of analyzing comprises the steps of:
identifying plateaus and decreases in said measured pressure curve; andcomparing said plateaus and decreases to at least one predetermined boundary condition; characterizing the plateaus and decreases by at least one curve property selected from amplitude, rate of change or frequency; and detecting a subtype of rhinitis, the step of detecting the subtype of rhinitis comprising at least one of the following sub-steps:
determining whether any individual values of any one of the curve properties surpasses a predetermined maximum threshold for that particular curve property, anddetermining whether any individual values of any one of the curve properties goes below a predetermined minimum threshold for that particular curve property.