Cochlear electrode implant assembly with positioning system therefor
First Claim
1. A self-positioning cochlear electrode implant assembly adapted to be implanted in the scala tympani of the spirally curved cochlea of a human ear for stimulating cells of the spiral ganglion, which assembly includes a rod-shaped cochlear electrode carrier made of a biocompatible plastic material and sufficiently flexible to be able to assume the spiral curvature of the cochlea, said electrode carrier having leading and trailing end regions and tapering in cross-section from said trailing end region to said leading end region;
- an array of cochlear electrode elements supported by said electrode carrier at respective longitudinally spaced locations thereon in a medial region of said electrode carrier between said leading and trailing end regions thereof, said electrode elements having respective contact faces exposed along a first longitudinal side region of said electrode carrier;
a rod-shaped electrode carrier-positioning member made of a biocompatible plastic material and sufficiently flexible to be able to assume the spiral curvature of the cochlea, said positioning member having leading and trailing end regions and being juxtaposed to and extending lengthwise of said electrode carrier along a second longitudinal side region of the latter opposite said first longitudinal side region thereof so as to have said leading and trailing end regions of said positioning member located adjacent said leading and trailing end regions, respectively, of said electrode carrier; and
means connecting said leading and trailing end regions of said positioning member to said leading and trailing end regions, respectively, of said electrode carrier so as to leave a medial region of said positioning member separated from said medial region of said electrode carrier and adapted to assume an arched configuration relative to said medial region of said electrode carrier, so that when said assembly is inserted into the scala tympani and said medial region of said positioning member has assumed said arched configuration against the constraint of the radially outer wall of the cochlea, said electrode carrier is in engagement at said first longitudinal side region thereof with the radially inner wall of the cochlea so as to position said contact faces of said array of electrode elements in close proximity to the spiral ganglion cells of the cochlea, and the connection between said trailing end region of said electrode carrier and said trailing end region of said positioning member serves to stabilize said assembly in and lock the same against inadvertent reverse movement out of the cochlea;
wherein the improvement comprises that;
said means connecting said leading end regions of said electrode carrier and said positioning member to each other comprises a latchless rod-and-socket joint including a rod-part supported by one of said positioning member and electrode carrier and a correspondingly configured socket-part supported by the other of said positioning member and electrode carrier, said socket part being constructed for slidingly receiving said rod-part without the two parts becoming latched to each other; and
said means for connecting said trailing end regions of said electrode carrier and said positioning member to each other comprises a ring-shaped member made of a biocompatible plastic material and defining a passageway extending therethrough dimensioned for jointly accommodating said electrode carrier and said positioning member with a close fit; and
said ring-shaped member has a cross-sectional configuration defining a circumferential boundary surface for said passageway which, when said positioning member is in said arched state thereof and in the absence of a longitudinally and rearwardly directed force of an appropriate magnitude externally applied by the surgeon to said positioning member, frictionally restrains said positioning member against inadvertent reverse movement through said ring-shaped member and out of the cochlea.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable cochlear electrode assembly includes a flexible rod-like electrode carrier and a flexible rod-like positioning member which are initially parallel to and closely alongside each other and, when the assembly is inserted endwise into the cochlea, adopt the spiral curvature of the cochlea. The electrode carrier and the positioning member are connected to each other at their respective leading end regions by a latchless rod-and-socket joint and at their respective trailing end regions by a ring-shaped member having a generally D-shaped cross-sectional configuration, with the flat wall of the "D" defining the circumferential boundary surface of the passageway in the ring member through which the electrode carrier and the positioning member jointly pass with a close fit. The medial regions of the electrode carrier and the positioning member are separate from and unconnected to each other, so that within the cochlea the positioning member can assume an outwardly arched configuration relative to the electrode carrier for forcing the latter into a close hugging engagement with the modiolus and for disposing the contact faces of the electrodes in as close a juxtaposition to the cells of the spiral ganglion as possible. The latchless rod-and-socket joint enables the positioning member to be withdrawn from the assembly without disturbing the electrode carrier.
112 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A self-positioning cochlear electrode implant assembly adapted to be implanted in the scala tympani of the spirally curved cochlea of a human ear for stimulating cells of the spiral ganglion, which assembly includes a rod-shaped cochlear electrode carrier made of a biocompatible plastic material and sufficiently flexible to be able to assume the spiral curvature of the cochlea, said electrode carrier having leading and trailing end regions and tapering in cross-section from said trailing end region to said leading end region;
- an array of cochlear electrode elements supported by said electrode carrier at respective longitudinally spaced locations thereon in a medial region of said electrode carrier between said leading and trailing end regions thereof, said electrode elements having respective contact faces exposed along a first longitudinal side region of said electrode carrier;
a rod-shaped electrode carrier-positioning member made of a biocompatible plastic material and sufficiently flexible to be able to assume the spiral curvature of the cochlea, said positioning member having leading and trailing end regions and being juxtaposed to and extending lengthwise of said electrode carrier along a second longitudinal side region of the latter opposite said first longitudinal side region thereof so as to have said leading and trailing end regions of said positioning member located adjacent said leading and trailing end regions, respectively, of said electrode carrier; and
means connecting said leading and trailing end regions of said positioning member to said leading and trailing end regions, respectively, of said electrode carrier so as to leave a medial region of said positioning member separated from said medial region of said electrode carrier and adapted to assume an arched configuration relative to said medial region of said electrode carrier, so that when said assembly is inserted into the scala tympani and said medial region of said positioning member has assumed said arched configuration against the constraint of the radially outer wall of the cochlea, said electrode carrier is in engagement at said first longitudinal side region thereof with the radially inner wall of the cochlea so as to position said contact faces of said array of electrode elements in close proximity to the spiral ganglion cells of the cochlea, and the connection between said trailing end region of said electrode carrier and said trailing end region of said positioning member serves to stabilize said assembly in and lock the same against inadvertent reverse movement out of the cochlea;wherein the improvement comprises that; said means connecting said leading end regions of said electrode carrier and said positioning member to each other comprises a latchless rod-and-socket joint including a rod-part supported by one of said positioning member and electrode carrier and a correspondingly configured socket-part supported by the other of said positioning member and electrode carrier, said socket part being constructed for slidingly receiving said rod-part without the two parts becoming latched to each other; and said means for connecting said trailing end regions of said electrode carrier and said positioning member to each other comprises a ring-shaped member made of a biocompatible plastic material and defining a passageway extending therethrough dimensioned for jointly accommodating said electrode carrier and said positioning member with a close fit; and
said ring-shaped member has a cross-sectional configuration defining a circumferential boundary surface for said passageway which, when said positioning member is in said arched state thereof and in the absence of a longitudinally and rearwardly directed force of an appropriate magnitude externally applied by the surgeon to said positioning member, frictionally restrains said positioning member against inadvertent reverse movement through said ring-shaped member and out of the cochlea. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- an array of cochlear electrode elements supported by said electrode carrier at respective longitudinally spaced locations thereon in a medial region of said electrode carrier between said leading and trailing end regions thereof, said electrode elements having respective contact faces exposed along a first longitudinal side region of said electrode carrier;
Specification