Use of interphase to incrementally adjust the volume of activated tissue

• US 8,180,445 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Moffitt, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): MALAMUD, DEBORAH LESLIE
• Application Number:
  US11/694,892
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 607 1- 2, 607/59, 607/72, 607/74, 607115-118
• US Class Current: 607/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36146 specified by the stimulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

A neurostimulation system comprises one or more electrical contacts, output stimulation circuitry capable of outputting a multiphasic waveform (e.g., a biphasic waveform) to the electrical contact(s), and control circuitry capable of varying an interphase of the multiphasic stimulation waveform. The control circuitry may also be capable of varying an amplitude of the multiphasic waveform. In this case, the control circuitry may be capable of discretely varying the amplitude of the multiphasic stimulation energy in a plurality of low-resolution steps, and may further be capable of varying the interphase of the multiphasic stimulation energy between the low-resolution steps; for example, by discretely varying the interphase in a plurality of high-resolution steps between each adjacent pair of low-resolution steps.

Claims

1. A neurostimulation system, comprising:

one or more electrical contacts;

output stimulation circuitry capable of outputting a multiphasic waveform to the one or more electrical contacts; and

control circuitry capable of varying an interphase and an amplitude of the multiphasic stimulation waveform in response to a single actuation of an actuator, wherein the amplitude of the multiphasic waveform is varied from a first non-zero value to a second different non-zero value.

2. A method of providing therapy to a patient using the neurostimulation system of claim 1, comprising:

placing one or more electrodes in contact with tissue of a patient;

delivering multiphasic stimulation energy from the neurostimulation system to the one or more electrodes, thereby activating a volume of the tissue; and

modifying the volume of activated tissue by varying the interphase and the amplitude of the multiphasic stimulation energy being delivered to the one or more electrodes in response to the single actuation of the actuator.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the multiphasic stimulation energy is biphasic stimulation energy.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the multiphasic stimulation energy comprises a cathodic pulse and an anodic pulse, and wherein the interphase is between the cathodic pulse and the anodic pulse.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the cathodic pulse precedes the anodic pulse.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the multiphasic stimulation energy comprises a stimulation pulse and a recharge pulse, and wherein the interphase is between the stimulation pulse and the recharge pulse.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the multiphasic stimulation energy comprises a stimulation pulse having a pulse width less than 100 μ

s.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the interphase of the multiphasic energy is varied in the range of 0 μ

s-100 μ

s.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the amplitude of the multiphasic stimulation energy is discretely varied in a plurality of steps, and the interphase of the multiphasic stimulation energy is varied between the plurality of steps.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the amplitude variation modifies the volume of activated tissue in low resolution steps, and wherein the interphase variation modifies the volume of activated tissue in high resolution steps between the low resolution steps.

11. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising a stimulation lead carrying at least one electrode electrically coupled to the one or more electrical contacts.

12. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the multiphasic waveform is a biphasic waveform.

13. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the multiphasic waveform comprises a cathodic pulse and an anodic pulse, and wherein the interphase is between the cathodic pulse and the anodic pulse.

14. The neurostimulation system of claim 13, wherein the cathodic pulse precedes the anodic pulse.

15. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the multiphasic waveform comprises a stimulation pulse and a recharge pulse, and wherein the interphase is between the stimulation pulse and the recharge pulse.

16. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the multiphasic waveform comprises a stimulation pulse having a pulse width less than 100 μ

s.

17. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is capable of varying the interphase of the multiphasic waveform in the range of 0 μ

s-100 μ

s.

18. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is capable of discretely varying the amplitude of the multiphasic stimulation energy in a plurality of low-resolution steps, and is capable of varying the interphase of the multiphasic stimulation energy between the low-resolution steps in response to the single actuation of the actuator.

19. The neurostimulation system of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry is capable of discretely varying the interphase in a plurality of high-resolution steps between each adjacent pair of low-resolution steps in response to the single actuation of the actuator.

20. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising memory capable of storing a set of stimulation parameters, wherein the control circuitry is capable of varying the interphase and the amplitude of the multiphasic waveform in accordance with the stimulation parameter set.

21. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising telemetry circuitry capable of wirelessly receiving instructions from an external programmer to vary the interphase and the amplitude of the multiphasic waveform.

22. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising a case, wherein the one or more electrical contacts, output stimulation circuitry, and control circuitry are contained in the case to form a neurostimulator.

23. The neurostimulation system of claim 22, wherein the neurostimulator is implantable.

24. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is capable of separately varying the interphase and the amplitude of the multiphasic stimulation energy in response to the single actuation of the actuator.

25. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is capable of varying the interphase of the multiphasic stimulation energy at different amplitudes of the multiphasic stimulation energy in response to the single actuation of the actuator.