An intracranial implantable ultrasound device for seizure mapping

摘要

Epilepsy is the third most commonly diagnosed neurological disorder. For drug-resistant patients, epilepsy surgery is the only option. The outcome of epilepsy surgery largely depends on an accurate mapping of epileptogenic zone. In clinic, this is done with subdural electrode array to monitor the Electrocorticography (ECoG) with a disappointing low spatial resolution of ~ 1cm. As a result, the cure rate of neocortical epilepsy can barely reach ~ 30%. Recent study showed that the neurovascular based CBV(Cerebral Blood Volume) increases spatially overlapped with seizure focus and functional ultrasound imaging can provide high resolution 3D maps of seizure focus in animal models. To apply ultrasound imaging techniques in clinic, we propose to develop implanted ultrasound transducers 3mm*1.5mm*.8mm which can be incorporated with the electrode array to record the CBV changes during seizure onset. This device can provide high resolution 3D seizure maps to guide the epilepsy surgery.