Nervous tissue stimulation device and method

• US 7,326,181 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jefferson Jacob Katims
• Original Assignee: Jefferson Jacob Katims
• Inventors: Katims, Jefferson Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Kristen D.
• Application Number:
  US10/788,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/554
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/383 Somatosensory stimuli, e.g. electric stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4041 Evaluating nerves condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36021 for treatment of pain

Abstract

A method using a precisely controlled, computer programmable stimulus for neuroselective tissue stimulation that does not leave a sufficient voltage or electrical artifact on the tissue being stimulated that would interfere or prevent a monitoring system from recording the physiological response is utilized to evaluate the physiological conduction of the tissue being studied. A computer controls both the waveform, duration and intensity of the stimulus. An output trigger to the nerve response recording component controls the timing of its operation. A neuroselective nervous tissue response latency and amplitude may be determined. The computer controlled stimulus may also be administered for therapeutic purposes.

Claims

1. A method for evoking neuroselective responses from nervous tissue using electronic or electromagnetic stimulation that does not leave a sufficient voltage or electrical artifact on the tissue being stimulated that would interfere or prevent a monitoring system from recording the physiological response and which is also substantially painless in case the nervous tissue is in a living organism, or a method of in situ monitoring of nerve responses for evaluating the response to a therapeutic intervention, or a method for therapeutic nervous tissue stimulation including augmenting or attenuating normal or impaired nerve function, comprising

attaching an electrode of an apparatus to the nervous tissue,

the apparatus comprising

an electrode which can be applied to nervous tissue of a patient effective for application thereto of electronic or electromagnetic stimulation having a waveform

a controller for controlling the waveform, duration and intensity of an electronic or electromagnetic stimulation that is applied to nervous tissues through said electrode and does not leave a sufficient voltage or electrical artifact on the tissue being stimulated that would interfere or prevent a monitoring component from recording a physiological response of said tissue to said stimulation, and

a monitoring component that monitors the physiological response of said nervous tissue,

the apparatus a) being capable of generating an electronic or electromagnetic stimulation that has a single 180°

or 360°

sine waveform, or b) being capable of generating an of electronic or electromagnetic sine wave stimulation that has a duration of less than 200 ms,

providing a stimulation that has a single 180°

or 360°

sine waveform, or a sine wave form with a duration of less than 200 ms, with said apparatus, and

monitoring the physiological response of the nervous tissue with said apparatus.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation has a single 180°

or 330°

sine waveform.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the apparatus the monitoring component comprises a recording component for recording the physiological response of said nervous tissue, and an output trigger to the recording component.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the apparatus the electronic or electromagnetic stimulation is generated by programmable circuitry.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is comprised in a NCV, nervous tissue monitor or Current Perception Threshold (CPT) apparatus.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the apparatus the controller and the monitoring component is an external computer.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a quartz crystal for timing of the stimulation.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation has a constant current.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation has a frequency of 2000 Hz.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation has a frequency of 5 Hz.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation is repeatedly administered to permit the averaging of the physiological response of a patient.

12. A method according to claim 1, which is for evoking neuroselective responses from nervous tissue using electronic or electromagnetic stimulation that does not leave a sufficient voltage or electrical artifact on the tissue being stimulated that would interfere or prevent a monitoring system from recording the physiological response and which is also substantially painless in case the nervous tissue is in a living organism.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the frequency of the stimulation is 5 to 2000 Hz.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the nervous tissue is in a human, or in an animal or is isolated nervous tissue.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein physiological response of the nervous tissue is monitored by making nerve conduction velocity and amplitude measurements.

16. A method according to claim 1, which is of in situ monitoring of nerve responses for evaluating the response to a therapeutic intervention.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein the nervous tissue is spinal cord tissue or a prosthetic nerve.

18. A method according to claim 1, which is for therapeutic nervous tissue stimulation including augmenting or attenuating normal or impaired nerve function.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation has a sine wave form with a duration of less than 200 ms.