Non-invasive monitoring of blood flow and cerebral blood pressure using ultra miniature reflection type photoelectric plethysmographic sensors or ultrasonic doppler flow meter

Claim 1

An apparatus located outside a patient's skull for diagnosing cephalic hypertension or cephalic hypotension and retinal and cerebral circulatory disturbances within a patient'skull, comprising: cerebral and retinal monitoring means for non-invasively monitoring from outside of the patient's skull blood pressure and flow of a supra-orbital artery and a supra-trochlear artery, said monitoring means including either a support member having a base surface for engaging the skin, a light source for producing a beam of light in the form of a cone of relatively small angle, and a light detector for receiving a light directed towards the detector within a collection cone of relatively large angle, the light source and the light detector being supported by the support member above the base surface thereof with the axis of the light beam crossing the axis of the collection cone below the base surface, to measure supra-orbital and supra-trochlear arterial blood pressure and flow, and means for suppressing blood flow through the supra-orbital artery and the supra-trochlear artery, said suppressing means including a head band having at least a partially inflatable cuff for contacting a forehead to suppress blood flow in the supra-orbital artery and the supra-trochlear artery during blood pressure measurement, the cuff having critical dimensions of a length sufficient to cover the forehead and of a width of substantially between 1.5 to 2.0 cm depending upon the size of the forehead to ensure sensitive, accurate measurement of blood flow through the supra-orbital artery and the supratrochlear artery, the device being for indicating when blood has been suppressed, and means for measuring the pressure in the cuff needed to stop blood flow.

Claim 2

An apparatus located outside a patient's skull for diagnosing cephalic hypertension or cephalic hypotension and retinal and cerebral circulatory disturbances within a patient'skull, comprising: cerebral and retinal monitoring means for non-invasively monitoring from outside of the patient's skull blood pressure and flow of a supra-orbital artery and a supra-trochlear artery, said monitoring means including either a support member having a base surface for engaging the skin, a light source for producing a beam of light in the form of a cone of relatively small angle, and a light detector for receiving a light directed towards the detector within a collection cone of relatively large angle, the light source and the light detector being supported by the support member above the base surface thereof with the axis of the light beam crossing the axis of the collection cone below the base surface, to measure supra-orbital and supra-trochlear arterial blood pressure and flow, and means for suppressing blood flow through the supra-orbital artery and the supra-trochlear artery, said suppressing means including a head band having at least a partially inflatable cuff for contacting a forehead to suppress blood flow in the supra-orbital artery and the supra-trochlear artery during blood pressure measurement, the cuff having critical dimensions of a length sufficient to cover the forehead and of a width of substantially between 1.5 to 2.0 cm depending upon the size of the forehead to ensure sensitive, accurate measurement of blood flow through the supra-orbital artery and the supratrochlear artery, the device being for indicating when blood has been suppressed, and means for measuring the pressure in the cuff needed to stop blood flow.