Cranial nerve stimulation to treat a vocal cord disorder
First Claim
1. A method of treating a patient having a vocal cord disorder, comprising:
- coupling at least one electrode to at least one cranial nerve of the patient selected from the group consisting of a vagus nerve, a trigeminal nerve, and a glossopharyngeal nerve; and
applying an electrical signal to the at least one cranial nerve using the electrode to treat the vocal cord disorder.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a method of treating a patient having a vocal cord disorder, comprising coupling at least one electrode to at least one cranial nerve of the patient, wherein the cranial nerve is selected from the group consisting of a vagus nerve, a trigeminal nerve, and a glossopharyngeal nerve, and applying an electrical signal to the cranial nerve using the electrode to treat the vocal cord disorder. The electrode may be coupled to a branch of the vagus nerve selected from the group consisting of a recurrent laryngeal nerve, the external branch of a superior laryngeal nerve, the internal branch of a superior laryngeal nerve, and a pharyngeal plexus. Also disclosed is a computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform the method, and a medical device and a vocal cord disorder treatment system that may be used in performance of the method.
159 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of treating a patient having a vocal cord disorder, comprising:
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coupling at least one electrode to at least one cranial nerve of the patient selected from the group consisting of a vagus nerve, a trigeminal nerve, and a glossopharyngeal nerve; and
applying an electrical signal to the at least one cranial nerve using the electrode to treat the vocal cord disorder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of treating a patient having a vocal cord disorder, comprising:
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coupling at least one electrode to at least one cranial nerve of the patient selected from the group consisting of a vagus nerve, a trigeminal nerve, and a glossopharyngeal nerve;
providing an electrical signal generator;
coupling said signal generator to said at least one electrode;
generating an electrical signal with the electrical signal generator; and
applying the electrical signal to the electrode to treat the vocal cord disorder. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A method of treating a patient having a vocal cord disorder, comprising:
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coupling at least one electrode to at least one branch of a vagus nerve of the patient selected from the group consisting of a recurrent laryngeal nerve, the external branch of a superior laryngeal nerve, the internal branch of a superior laryngeal nerve, and a pharyngeal plexus; and
applying an electrical signal to said at least one branch of a vagus nerve using the electrode to treat the vocal cord disorder. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification