METHOD FOR TREATING A PATIENT HAVING A SPINAL CORD INJURY USING PHOTOTHERAPY

• US 20100152820A1
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ilko K. Ilev, Juanita J. Anders, Kimberly R. Byrnes, Ronald W. Waynant
• Original Assignee: Ilko K. Ilev, Juanita J. Anders, Kimberly R. Byrnes, Ronald W. Waynant
• Inventors: Byrnes, Kimberly R., Anders, Juanita J., Ilev, Ilko K., Waynant, Ronald W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,328,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0651 Diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0613 Apparatus adapted for a specific treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light

Abstract

A method of treating spinal cord injury (SCI) includes transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of a spinal environment of the patient with light having a power density of at least about 0.01 mW/cm² at the portion of the spinal environment.

Claims

1. A method of treating a patient having a spinal cord injury, the method comprising modulating at least one physiological activity of the patient by transcutaneously irradiating at least a portion of a spinal environment of the patient with light having a power density of at least about 0.01 mW/cm² at the portion of the spinal environment, wherein the spinal environment comprises the spinal cord, the spinal vasculature, the meninges, and the cerebrospinal fluid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the light has a wavelength in a range between about 580 nanometers and about 850 nanometers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein modulating at least one physiological activity of the patient comprises facilitating axonal regeneration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modulating at least one physiological activity comprises modulating one or more physiological activities selected from the group consisting of:

immunological activity, gene expression, Schwann cell activity, the blood-brain barrier, neovascularization, astroglial scar formation, and growth factor production with respect to the spinal cord.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein modulating at least one physiological activity comprises reducing Wallerian degeneration.

6. A method for treating a patient having a spinal cord injury, the method comprising transcutaneously delivering a neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy to a target area of the spinal cord that includes an area of neural injury, wherein the neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy has a power density of at least about 0.01 mW/cm².

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy has a wavelength in a range between about 630 nanometers and about 904 nanometers.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein transcutaneously delivering a neuroregenerative effective amount of light energy to the target area of the spinal cord comprises determining a surface power density of the light energy at a skin surface sufficient to deliver light energy having a power density of at least about 0.01 mW/cm² to the target area of the spinal cord.

9. A method for assessing treatment of traumatic spinal cord injury of a patient, the method comprising:

providing a first sample of at least a portion of the spinal cord environment;

evaluating at least one marker of traumatic spinal cord injury in the first sample; and

treating the traumatic spinal cord injury patient.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the first sample is performed after treating the traumatic spinal cord injury patient.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the first sample is performed before treating the traumatic spinal cord injury patient.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sample comprises cerebrospinal fluid or tissue from a needle biopsy.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing a second sample of at least a portion of the spinal cord environment; and

evaluating at least one marker of traumatic spinal cord injury in the second sample.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising comparing the at least one marker in the first sample to the at least one marker in the second sample.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the first sample comprises accessing the spinal cord environment and providing the second sample comprises reaccessing the spinal cord environment.