Patent ID: 8109880

Claim:
A method of measuring an intracranial pressure of a subject non-invasively comprising the steps of: (a) placing an inflatable cervical cuff around the neck of the subject; (b) gradually tilting the upper body of the subject, whereby the subject's transmural jugular venous pressure is changed hydrostatically; (c) measuring the subject's hydrostatic pressure gradient between supine and tilted position; (d) selecting the subject's maximal safe cervical cuff inflation pressure level; then (e) gradually inflating the cervical cuff no higher than the maximal safe cervical cuff inflation pressure level, whereby the subject's transmural jugular venous pressure is changed by external compression; (f) testing the subject's jugular hemodynamic change in response to the transmural jugular pressure change; (g) if said subject's jugular hemodynamic change cannot be registered, displaying first message, that effective cerebral outflow pressure is determined by central venous pressure, whereby indicating that intracranial pressure in not intrinsically elevated and cerebral outflow is determined solely by the central venous pressure; (h) if said subject's jugular hemodynamic change is registered, gradually increasing cervical cuff pressure level until said subject's jugular hemodynamic change reaches plateau; (i) adding said hydrostatic pressure gradient to the minimal cervical cuff pressure inflation pressure level at which said subject's jugular hemodynamic change reaches plateau; (j) displaying the result of said addition calculated in step (i) as the subject's intracranial pressure, whereby no further jugular vein hemodynamic change can be registered with further cervical cuff inflation or hydrostatic jugular venous pressure decrease, because cerebral venous outflow was redirected into the vertebral venous system and intracranial pressure is the effective cerebral outflow pressure; (k) if said subject's jugular hemodynamic change is registered, but does not reach plateau, displaying the message that intracranial pressure is higher than the result of said addition calculated in step (i).