APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR MAPPING THE LOCATION OF A NERVE
First Claim
1. An apparatus to map the location of a nerve, the apparatus comprising:
- a stimulation module that stimulates a nerve with an electrical stimulation current from at least one stimulation electrode;
a stimulation detection module that detects a muscle reaction, the muscle reaction resulting from stimulation of the nerve by the at least one stimulation electrode;
a distance module that uses information from the at least one stimulation electrode and from the stimulation detection module to calculate a distance between the at least one stimulation electrode and the nerve; and
a mapping module that maps a location on the nerve using at least two distances calculated by the distance module and position information of the at least one stimulation electrode for each of the at least two distances calculated.
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Abstract
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for mapping the location of a nerve. The apparatus includes at least one stimulation module, a stimulation detection module, a distance module, and a mapping module. The stimulation module stimulates a nerve with an electrical stimulation current from at least one stimulation electrode. A stimulation detection module detects a muscle reaction resulting from stimulation of the nerve by the at least one stimulation electrode. The distance module uses information from the at least one stimulation electrode and from the stimulation detection module to calculate a distance between the at least one stimulation electrode and the nerve. The mapping module maps a location on the nerve using at least two distances calculated by the distance module and position information of the at least one stimulation electrode for each of the at least two distances calculated.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus to map the location of a nerve, the apparatus comprising:
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a stimulation module that stimulates a nerve with an electrical stimulation current from at least one stimulation electrode; a stimulation detection module that detects a muscle reaction, the muscle reaction resulting from stimulation of the nerve by the at least one stimulation electrode; a distance module that uses information from the at least one stimulation electrode and from the stimulation detection module to calculate a distance between the at least one stimulation electrode and the nerve; and a mapping module that maps a location on the nerve using at least two distances calculated by the distance module and position information of the at least one stimulation electrode for each of the at least two distances calculated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus to map the location of a nerve, the apparatus comprising:
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at least one stimulation electrode that stimulates a nerve with an electrical stimulation current from an electrical source; a stimulation detection module that detects a muscle reaction, the muscle reaction resulting from stimulation of the nerve by the at least one stimulation electrode; a distance module that uses information from the at least one stimulation electrode and from the stimulation module to calculate a distance between the at least one stimulation electrode and the nerve; and an electrode positioning module that positions the at least one stimulation electrode in at least two positions to calculate at least two distances using the at least one stimulation electrode and the distance module; a mapping module that maps a location on the nerve using at least two distances calculated by the distance module and position information of the at least one stimulation electrode for each of the at least two distance calculated. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 20)
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18. A method for mapping the location of a nerve, the method comprising:
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stimulating a nerve with a stimulation current from at least one stimulation electrode; detecting a muscle reaction, the muscle reaction resulting from stimulation of the nerve by the at least one stimulation electrode; calculating a distance between the at least one stimulation electrode and the nerve using current information from the at least one stimulation electrode at a time of first detecting the muscle reaction; and mapping a location on the nerve using at least two distances calculated and position information of the at least one stimulation electrode for each of the at least two distances calculated. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification