Medical Probe and a Method of Providing a Medical Probe

• US 20120136420A1
• Filed: 11/25/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Bakken Research Center B.V. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Sapiens Steering Brain Stimulation B.V. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Pardoel, Michel Gerardus, Decré, Michel Marcel
• Granted Patent: US 8,688,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/116
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/086 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] compatible leads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/302 Clad or other composite foil or thin metal making

Abstract

A medical probe is provided that has a single longitudinally uniform interconnect that provides a connection between a distal end and a proximal end of the probe. The interconnect is obtained by forming a thin uniform film as a spiral on a wafer and subsequently applying this spiral as a helix on a base element of a medical probe. The thin film spiral is manufactured with multiple connecting wires to enable connection between an electronics module and a multiplicity of electrodes (an electrode array) at the distal end of the medical probe.

Claims

1. A medical probe comprising:

an interconnect provides providing a connection between a distal end and a proximal end of a probe, the interconnect including a thin film foil providing said connection,

wherein the thin film foil is a uniform helix element extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the probe.

2. The medical probe according to claim 1, wherein the thin film foil is arranged on an elongate base element, such as a cylinder.

3. The medical probe according to claim 1, wherein a first side of the thin film foil rests on a surface of an elongate base element, while a second side of the thin film foil is at a distance from the surface of the elongate base element, thereby defining a volume between the surface of the base element and the thin film foil.

4. The medical probe according to claim 3, wherein the first and second sides of the thin film foil has unequal or uneven lengths.

5. The medical probe according to claim 1, wherein the thin film foil has been produced from a foil in the form of a spiral of Archimedes being wound onto the base element.

6. The medical probe according to claim 1, wherein the probe comprises two thin films, each having multiple connecting wires, arranged in a cross wise manner as helixes on each other on the element, to obtain good mechanical stability with a sufficiently small diameter device.

7. The medical probe according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transparent overmould layer covering the thin film foil so as to provide protections for the foil and its connecting wires, while still enabling inspection of the thin film foil.

8. A method for providing a medical probe according to claim 1, comprising producing the thin film foil as a longitudinally uniform element in the form of a spiral.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the thin film foil is applied as a helix onto an elongate base element extending between the distal end and the proximal end of the probe.

10. The method according to claim 8, comprising manufacturing the thin film foil with multiple connecting wire along the spiral, uniform element.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein during the production of the thin film foil, the foil is laid out as a spiral of Archimedes.

12. The method according to claim 8, comprising the step of manufacturing the thin film foil on a wafer.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of applying the thin film foil onto a base element comprises applying two spiral films, each spiral film having one or more connecting wires, in a cross wise manner as helixes, on each other onto the base element, so as to provide good mechanical stability, while still resulting in a sufficiently small diameter.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the applying the thin film foil onto a base element comprises applying two spiral films next to each other.

15. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

providing a transparent overmould layer covering the thin film foil after its application onto the base element, so as to protect the thin film foil and its connecting wires, while allowing inspection of the thin film foil.