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Probe for measuring a patient's bulbocavernosus muscle reflex

  • US 8,845,545 B2
  • Filed: 05/13/2013
  • Issued: 09/30/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A probe for externally measuring a patient'"'"'s bulbocavernosus muscle reflex, comprising:

  • a housing with a bore there through, said housing containing a piezoelectric disk, said disk electrically connected to an amplifier and activated by a power source;

    a patient contacting portion comprising a stimulus plunger having first and second ends and having a shaft that extends through the bore, said shaft being movable along a longitudinal axis and having an expanded portion that prevents the stimulus plunger from sliding out of an opening in the housing; and

    a compression spring that biases said second end of the stimulus plunger away from contact with the piezoelectric disk;

    wherein the patient contacting portion is configured to activate, during the contact, the piezoelectric disk in the probe resulting in a signal response that identifies when an onset of the external contact of a predetermined body area occurs;

    wherein the signal response is configured to identify a subsequent collection of electrical responses from a plurality of electrodes placed on the patient'"'"'s skin, wherein the collection is indicative of the bulbocavernosus muscle reflex or an absence thereof;

    wherein one or more characteristics of the electrical responses in the collection provide information about the bulbocavernosus muscle reflex;

    wherein the characteristics are adapted to determine using at least one of (a) through (d) following;

    (a) a time delay between the signal response and the collection, (b) a time duration for the collection, (c) a value indicative of a magnitude of at least one electrical response of the collection, and (d) a voltage differential between the electrical responses of the collection and a voltage indicative of the bulbocavernosus muscle at rest;

    wherein the predetermined body area includes the patient'"'"'s penis or the patient'"'"'s clitoris, the characteristics are determined using at least one of (a) through (d), and the probe includes a computer for determining the characteristics, and an electronic display for displaying a graphical representation of the collection in graphical relation to a time of the signal response; and

    wherein the piezoelectric disk is an electrical switch.

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