Patent ID: 11857312
Assignee: THE BIONICS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A method of assessing the hearing of a patient using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the method comprising:
determining parameters of aural stimulation to be delivered to the patient, the parameters including a first intensity;
delivering to the patient the aural stimulation having the first intensity;
receiving at least one response signal from an optode placed on a scalp of the patient, the at least one response signal comprising fNIRS data generated by the optode and relating to the aural stimulation received by the patient;
comparing at least one parameter of the at least one response signal to a predetermined parameter value;
estimating, based on the result of the comparison and to assess the hearing of the patient, a loudness perceived by the patient experiencing the aural stimulation;
determining new parameters of aural stimulation to be delivered to the patient, the new parameters including a second intensity that is different from the first intensity;
delivering to the patient further aural stimulation having the second intensity; and
repeating the steps of receiving at least one response signal from an optode, comparing at least one parameter of the at least one response signal to a predetermined parameter value, and estimating a loudness perceived by the patient experiencing the aural stimulation.