Magnetic stimulation devices and methods of therapy
First Claim
1. A method for selectively applying energy to a target region within a patient, the method comprising:
- generating a time-varying magnetic field with an enclosed coil that is located essentially entirely outside of the patient;
shaping an electric field that is induced by said magnetic field by positioning an electrically conductive fluid around a portion of the enclosed coil; and
conducting an electric current that is induced by said magnetic field through an outer skin surface of the patient to the target region to modulate a nerve at the target region.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Devices and systems are disclosed for the non-invasive treatment of medical conditions through delivery of energy to target tissue, comprising a source of electrical power, a magnetically permeable toroidal core, and a coil that is wound around the core. The coil and core are embedded in a continuous electrically conducting medium, which is adapted to have a shape that conforms to the contour of an arbitrarily oriented target body surface of a patient. The conducting medium is applied to that surface by any of several disclosed methods, and the source of power supplies a pulse of electric charge to the coil, such that the coil induces an electric current and/or an electric field within the patient, thereby stimulating tissue and/or one or more nerve fibers within the patient. The invention shapes an elongated electric field of effect that can be oriented parallel to a long nerve. In one embodiment, the device comprises two toroidal cores that lie adjacent to one another.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method for selectively applying energy to a target region within a patient, the method comprising:
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generating a time-varying magnetic field with an enclosed coil that is located essentially entirely outside of the patient; shaping an electric field that is induced by said magnetic field by positioning an electrically conductive fluid around a portion of the enclosed coil; and conducting an electric current that is induced by said magnetic field through an outer skin surface of the patient to the target region to modulate a nerve at the target region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification