Magnetic Stimulation Devices and Methods of Therapy
First Claim
1. An apparatus for applying energy transcutaneously to a target region within a patient comprising:
- a source of energy for generating a magnetic field that is located essentially entirely exterior to an outer skin surface of the patient;
a conduction medium through which an electrical current induced by the magnetic field penetrates the outer skin surface of the patient; and
wherein the source of energy and the conduction medium are configured to shape the electrical field that is induced by the magnetic field, such that energy from the induced electric field and/or induced current is sufficient to modulate a nerve at the target region.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Devices and systems are disclosed for the non-invasive treatment of medical conditions through delivery of energy to target tissue, comprising a source of electrical power, a magnetically permeable toroidal core, and a coil that is wound around the core. The coil and core are embedded in a continuous electrically conducting medium, which is adapted to have a shape that conforms to the contour of an arbitrarily oriented target body surface of a patient. The conducting medium is applied to that surface by any of several disclosed methods, and the source of power supplies a pulse of electric charge to the coil, such that the coil induces an electric current and/or an electric field within the patient, thereby stimulating tissue and/or one or more nerve fibers within the patient. The invention shapes an elongated electric field of effect that can be oriented parallel to a long nerve. In one embodiment, the device comprises two toroidal cores that lie adjacent to one another.
214 Citations
46 Claims
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1. An apparatus for applying energy transcutaneously to a target region within a patient comprising:
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a source of energy for generating a magnetic field that is located essentially entirely exterior to an outer skin surface of the patient; a conduction medium through which an electrical current induced by the magnetic field penetrates the outer skin surface of the patient; and wherein the source of energy and the conduction medium are configured to shape the electrical field that is induced by the magnetic field, such that energy from the induced electric field and/or induced current is sufficient to modulate a nerve at the target region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A device for modulating one or more nerves within a body of a patient comprising:
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a source of energy configured to apply an electrical impulse transcutaneously through an outer skin surface of the patient to a nerve at a target region below the outer skin surface; and wherein the electrical impulse is sufficient to modulate a nerve within the target region and insufficient to substantially modulate nerve(s) in the vicinity of the outer skin surface. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for selectively applying energy to a target region within a patient comprising:
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generating a time-varying magnetic field that is located essentially entirely outside of the patient; shaping an electric field that is induced by said magnetic field; and conducting an electric current that is induced by said magnetic field through an outer skin surface of the patient to the target region to modulate a nerve at the target region. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A device for applying a time varying therapeutic electric field within a tissue comprising:
at least two toroidal coil elements configured to create an electric field outside of the coil elements; and
a conduit having a first end and a second end and containing a conductive medium, wherein said first and second ends of said conduit comprise conductive surfaces for passing an electrical current produced by the electric field through the surface of the tissue.- View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A device for directing a therapeutic electric current in tissue comprising:
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at least two elements within an enclosure, each configured to generate a time-varying magnetic field fully contained within the enclosure and each configured to generate a time-varying electric field; a conduit containing a conductive medium located outside of the at least two elements, said conducting medium configured to contact the tissue at two spatially distinct locations; and wherein said conduit is positioned relative to the at least two elements such that the time-varying electric fields drive a current through the conductive medium and through the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (40)
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41. A therapeutic device for applying an electric field to a region of tissue, comprising:
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a plurality of first elements, each of said first elements producing therein a time-varying magnetic field, said magnetic fields each being fully contained within said first elements; and a second element containing a conductive medium positioned relative to the first elements such that an electric field is induced in said conductive medium by the magnetic field in each of said first elements. - View Dependent Claims (42)
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43. A device for applying a therapeutic electric signal to tissue, comprising:
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a first element containing a time-varying magnetic field; a volume of conductive medium; a non-conductive housing element containing said first element and the volume of conductive medium; and a pair of electrically conductive ports in said housing, positionable against the tissue and configured to allow electric current to flow between the volume of conductive medium and the tissue, through the ports. - View Dependent Claims (44)
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45. A device for applying a therapeutic electric signal to a target region within a patient'"'"'s body comprising:
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at least two first elements, each containing a time-varying magnetic field; a non-conductive housing element containing each of the first elements and a volume of electrically conductive medium; a pair of electrically conductive ports in said housing, positionable against tissue of the patient'"'"'s body and configured to allow electric current to flow between the volume of conductive medium and the tissue, through the ports; and wherein each of said first elements is positionable relative the tissue such that electrical fields induced by the magnetic fields penetrate into said tissue and such that current cannot flow solely within said housing.
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46. A device for applying a therapeutic electric signal to a target region within a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:
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a first element containing a time-varying magnetic field; a non-conductive housing containing the first element that is positionable in close proximity to an outer skin surface of the patient'"'"'s body such that an electric field induced by said time-varying magnetic field exists beneath the outer skin surface; a volume of conductive medium constrained by the non-conductive housing to have a shape that may be other than a half-plane; and one or more electrically conductive ports in the non-conductive housing, positionable against the outer skin surface and configured to allow electric current to flow between the volume of conductive medium and the target region, through the outer skin surface.
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Specification