TRANSCUTANEOUS TELEMETRY OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID SHUNT PROGRAMMABLE-VALVE PRESSURE USING NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) LIGHT

• US 20090204054A1
• Filed: 01/20/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Erich W. Wolf II
• Original Assignee: Erich W. Wolf II
• Inventors: Wolf, Erich W. II
• Granted Patent: US 8,057,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/031 Intracranial pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0001 Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3313 used specific wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 27/006 Cerebrospinal drainage; Accessories therefor, e.g. valves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/806 Arrangements for feeding power

Abstract

An improvement for a programmable valve system of the type implanted in a patient and used to divert cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from an intraventricular space to a terminus such as the peritoneal cavity. Such system includes means for establishing a flow path for the CSF to the terminus, which flow path includes a normally closed valve and means for adjusting the opening pressure of the valve in order to regulate the quantity of CSF diverted. The improvement enables an operator to be apprised of the actual opening pressure setting of the valve. A sensor is implantable at the patient and responds to the actual opening pressure setting, by generating an NIR telemetry signal indicative of the actual setting. This signal is transcutaneously transmitted through the skin of the patient to an external point. The telemetry signal is processed to produce observer intelligible data indicating the opening pressure setting of the valve.

Claims

1. In a programmable valve system of the type which is implanted in a medical patient and used to divert cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from an intraventricular space of the patient to a terminus such as the patient peritoneal cavity;

said system including means for establishing a flow path for said CSF to said terminus, which flow path includes a normally closed valve and means for adjusting the opening pressure of said valve in order to regulate the quantity of CSF diverted;

the improvement enabling an observer to be apprised of the actual opening pressure setting of the said valve, comprising;

(a) means implantable at said patient and responsive to said actual opening pressure setting for generating an NIR telemetry signal indicative of said actual setting for transcutaneous transmission through the skin of said patient to an external point; and

(b) means positionable externally of said patient for receiving said telemetry signal at said external point and for producing therefrom observer intelligible data indicating the said actual opening pressure setting of said valve.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means implantable at said patient includes a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) for generating NIR light for said telemetry signal.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said opening pressure of said valve is determined by the rotational position of a valve mechanism axis;

and wherein said means responsive to said actual value of said pressure setting comprises an optical encoder disc which is rotatable with said axis; and

means for utilizing the rotational position of said disc to control the said NIR telemetry signal.

4. A system in accordance with claim 3, wherein each specific static rotational angle which may be assumed by said valve mechanism axis has a corresponding unique encoded binary numeral n;

and wherein said means (a) includes means for transilluminating said disc with said NIR light, and a photodetector positioned for detecting NIR light passing through NIR-pervious radically oriented regions positioned periodically about said disc;

means for determining from the light passed through the illuminated said region the angular position of said disc and thereby of said axis; and

means for modulating said NIR telemetry signal to reflect the thereby determined rotational position of said axis.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said NIR telemetry signal is modulated so that the output frequency of the telemetry signals has a frequency depended on the rotational position of said valve mechanism axis.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5, where the telemetry signal detected at said sensor head is used to index a look-up table which correlates the modulation frequency with the actual pressure at said valve.

7. A system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the resulting said actual valve pressure is displayed for use by said operator.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1, including means at said sensor head to verify positioning of the sensor head over and in coupling relation with said implant means (a).

9. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said means for verifying positioning of said sensor head is a visually discernable LED.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein power for said implant is provided from a point external to said patient by inductive coupling with a coil at said sensor head.

11. A system for retrieving the biometric pressure data from a programmable valve implanted in an organism comprising:

an intracorporeal device sealed within the organism;

an extracorporeal device outside the organism;

a freespace optical data channel established between the intracorporeal device and the extracorporeal device for communication of the biometric pressure data;

a freespace electromagnetic power transmission channel established from the extracorporeal device to the intracorporeal device for transmission of power; and

a freespace mechanical power transmission channel established from the extracorporeal device to the intracorporeal device for manipulation of a position of the intracorporeal device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the freespace optical data channel is bidirectional.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the freespace optical data channel is in a wavelength range between 800 nm and 1000 nm.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the intracorporeal device is powered only upon receipt of a transmission of power from the electromagnetic power transmission channel.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein a light emitting diode on the extracorporeal device illuminates when the intracorporeal device receives power.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the extracorporeal device includes a processor for operating on the transmitted near infrared form.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a memory means, in communication with the processor, for storage of a data set related to the angular position of the valve.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is further programmed to conduct signal processing on the data set.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the extracorporeal device further comprises a coupling module, an analysis module and an external mechanical programmer.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the coupling module further comprises:

an optical receiver coupled to the freespace optical data channel and;

a power transmitter coupled to the electromagnetic power transmission channel.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the external mechanical programmer further comprises:

a driver magnet coupled to the freespace mechanical power transmission channel.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the analysis module further comprises:

an optical receiver coupled to the freespace optical data channel;

a decoder coupled to the optical receiver; and

a processor connected to the decoder programmed to interpret the biometric data.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the power transmitter further includes:

a power signal conditioner; and

a transformer connected to the power signal conditioner and to the power transmitter.

24. The system of claim 11 wherein the intracorporeal device further includes an encoding system for generating a signal related to an angular position of the valve data.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the encoding system further comprises:

an encoder disk;

an optical source adjacent to the encoder disk;

an optical receiver in communication with the optical source for generating an encoded signal related to the angular position of the encoder disk; and

an optical transmitter coupled to the freespace optical data channel adapted to transmit the encoded signal.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the encoder disk further comprises:

an optically opaque disk having an encoder pattern and a reference pattern;

a light source adjacent to the optically opaque disk and adapted to transmit light through the encoder pattern and the reference pattern;

a first reference array adjacent the encoder pattern adapted to receive light through the encoder pattern and generate an angular position signal indicative of the angular position of the encoder disk;

a second reference array adjacent the reference pattern adapted to receive light through the reference pattern and generate a data valid signal indicative of the validity of the angular position signal.

27. A method of moving an implanted device in an organism comprising the steps of:

activating the implanted device through an inductively coupled power source;

electromagnetically creating an altered position of the device; and

deriving an optical data signal from the altered position; and

transmitting it out of the organism.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of activating comprises the further steps of:

generating electromagnetic power signal by an extracorporeal device; and

receiving of the electromagnetic power signal by the implanted device.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of collecting comprises the further steps of:

generating a data signal in response to the position of a valve coupled to the implanted device; and

transforming the data signal into the near infrared signal.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of electromagnetically creating further comprises:

rotating a driver magnet above the implanted device.