Back to results
US 4,190,033 AGranted
Closed flow caloric test method
OwnerThomas M. Fotiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of caloric vestibular testing comprises inserting an inflatable receptacle into an ear canal; admitting pressurized calorized fluid into the receptacle to cause its expansion laterally within the ear canal and longitudinally up to the tympanic membrane, such expansion filling the cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the ear canal; while inflating the receptacle, venting air trapped between the receptacle and the tympanic membrane to atmosphere; and circulating a volume of calorized liquid through the receptacle while carrying out a caloric vestibular function testing procedure.
Claims4
The method of caloric vestibular testing comprising:
- (a) inserting a flexible, thin-walled, distensible receptacle into an ear canal, the receptacle having provision for enabling circulation of pressurized calorized fluid therethrough and being inflatable by such fluid;
- (b) admitting pressurized calorized fluid into the receptacle to cause its expansion laterally within the ear canal and longitudinally up to the tympanic membrane, such expansion filling the cross sectional area of at least a portion of the ear canal;
- (c) while inflating the receptacle, venting air trapped between the receptacle and the tympanic membrane to atmosphere;
- and
- (d) circulating a volume of calorized fluid through the receptacle for a time period and at a temperature consistent with and while carrying out a caloric vestibular function testing procedure.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.