diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 2011fb56b4ca1966da30353ef1154d8c7fdc87fe..953e1e4de5bb834d8e3c93f76f70765ed2e3a9d2 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -164,6 +164,9 @@
 #define FIX_ITD_CNG                                     /* Eri: Fix for CNG ITD */
 
 
+#define INTRAFRAME_HEAP_MANAGEMENT                      /* Issue 78: compute consumption of Stack memory in DirAC decoder as intra-frame heap */
+
+
 /* ################## End DEVELOPMENT switches ######################### */
 /* clang-format on */
 #endif
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_dirac_dec.c b/lib_dec/ivas_dirac_dec.c
index f2273de26d20bc8dd327c9aaef8161ecc8a67a10..c143557744f624a745b00ba986e34585d310689c 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_dirac_dec.c
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_dirac_dec.c
@@ -759,12 +759,14 @@ ivas_error ivas_dirac_dec_config(
     /* output synthesis */
     ivas_dirac_dec_output_synthesis_init( hDirAC, nchan_out_woLFE );
 
+#ifndef INTRAFRAME_HEAP_MANAGEMENT
     /* Allocate stack memory */
     if ( flag_config != DIRAC_OPEN )
     {
         ivas_dirac_free_mem( &( hDirAC->stack_mem ) );
     }
     ivas_dirac_alloc_mem( hDirAC, st_ivas->renderer_type, &( hDirAC->stack_mem ) );
+#endif
 
     mvs2s( DirAC_block_grouping, hDirAC->block_grouping, MAX_PARAM_SPATIAL_SUBFRAMES + 1 );
 
@@ -1090,8 +1092,9 @@ void ivas_dirac_dec_close(
         hDirAC->masa_stereo_type_detect = NULL;
     }
 
+#ifndef INTRAFRAME_HEAP_MANAGEMENT
     ivas_dirac_free_mem( &( hDirAC->stack_mem ) );
-
+#endif
     count_free( hDirAC );
 
     return;
@@ -1827,7 +1830,11 @@ void ivas_dirac_dec(
 
     /* Initialize aux buffers */
     hDirAC = st_ivas->hDirAC;
+#ifdef INTRAFRAME_HEAP_MANAGEMENT
+    ivas_dirac_alloc_mem( hDirAC, st_ivas->renderer_type, &DirAC_mem );
+#else
     DirAC_mem = st_ivas->hDirAC->stack_mem;
+#endif
 
     reference_power = DirAC_mem.reference_power;
     reference_power_smooth = DirAC_mem.reference_power + hDirAC->num_freq_bands;
@@ -2495,6 +2502,10 @@ void ivas_dirac_dec(
         }
     }
 
+#ifdef INTRAFRAME_HEAP_MANAGEMENT
+    ivas_dirac_free_mem( &DirAC_mem );
+#endif
+
     wmops_sub_end();
 
     return;
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_stat_dec.h b/lib_dec/ivas_stat_dec.h
index a18f826921eac23410fd0d534d1f8ff80af15721..6ffadde3a05f8f1f8198dd5f3db70eaf044838be 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_stat_dec.h
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_stat_dec.h
@@ -704,8 +704,9 @@ typedef struct ivas_dirac_dec_data_structure
     float *proto_frame_f;
     float *proto_frame_dec_f;
 
+#ifndef INTRAFRAME_HEAP_MANAGEMENT
     DIRAC_DEC_STACK_MEM stack_mem;
-
+#endif
     MASA_STEREO_TYPE_DETECT *masa_stereo_type_detect;
 
     int16_t num_ele_spk_no_diffuse_rendering;