Deep brain stimulation system for the treatment of parkinson's disease or other disorders

• US 20020161403A1
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Bionics Corporation (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Meadows, Paul M., Mann, Carla M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,920,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0539 Anchoring of brain electrode systems, e.g. within burr hole
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

A deep brain stimulation (DBS) system (10) provides a multiplicity of stimulation channels through which stimulation may be delivered deep within the brain of the patient. The DBS system is powered by a rechargeable battery (27). In one embodiment, the system has four channels driving sixteen electrodes (32). The DBS system is easily programmed fur use by a clinician using a clinician programming system (60), and further affords a simple but highly advanced hand held programmer (50) control interface through which the patient may easily change stimulation parameters within acceptable limits. The DBS system (10) includes a small, implantable pulse generator (20) that is small enough to be implanted directly in the cranium of the patient, thereby eliminating the long lead wires and tunneling procedures that have been used in the past. Further, the DBS system allows up to two electrode arrays (30, 30′) to be attached to the implantable pulse generator (20), thereby eliminating the requirement for implanting two independent implantable pulse generators for bilateral stimulation of deep brain structures.

Claims

1. A multichannel deep brain stimulation system (10) comprising:

an implantable pulse generator (20) connected to at least one electrode array (30), said at least one electrode array having a plurality of electrodes (32) through which electrical stimuli may be applied to body tissue;

a rechargeable battery (27) coupled to the implantable pulse generator;

a hand-held programmer (50); and

an external battery charging system (40);

wherein the implantable pulse generator (20) and at least one electrode array (30) are adapted to be implanted directly in the cranium of a patient, whereby electrical stimuli may be applied to brain tissue of the patient; and

wherein the implantable pulse generator (20) includes control circuits (21, 26, 27) and memory circuits (22, 24) that cause stimulation pulses to be applied through at least one of a plurality of channels to the electrodes (32) of the at least one electrode array in accordance with a program stored within the memory circuits of the implantable pulse generator; and

wherein the hand-held programmer (50) may be coupled to the implantable pulse generator through an RF link (44) for the purpose of programming and testing the implantable pulse generator (20); and

wherein the external battery charging system (40) may be inductively coupled to the rechargeable battery (27) for the purpose of replenishing the power stored within the rechargeable battery.

2. The deep brain stimulation system of claim 1 further including a manufacturing and diagnostic system (70), the manufacturing and diagnostic system including means for coupling with the implantable pulse generator (20) through an RF link (45).

3. The deep brain stimulation system of claim 2 wherein the manufacturing and diagnostic system (70) further includes means for coupling with the hand-held programmer (50) through an infra-red link (47).

4. The deep brain stimulation system of claim 1 wherein at least two electrode arrays (30, 30′

) are attached to the implantable pulse generator (20), thereby facilitating bilateral stimulation of the brain of the patient.

6. The deep brain stimulation system of claim 1 further including a clinician programmer (60), and wherein the clinician programmer (60) may be coupled to the hand-held programmer (50) through an infra-red link (46) for the purpose of coupling the clinician programmer with the implantable pulse generator (20).

7. The deep brain stimulation system of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrode array (30) is detachably connected to the implantable pulse generator (20) through a header connector (22).

8. The deep brain stimulation system of claim 7 wherein the at least one electrode array (30) is capacitively coupled to an output circuit (25) of the implantable pulse generator.

5. The deep brain stimulation system of claim 5 wherein each of the electrode arrays (30 and 30′

) includes at least two and as many as sixteen electrodes (32, 32′

).

9. A multichannel bilateral deep brain stimulation system (10) comprising:

an implantable pulse generator (20) detachably connected to a plurality of electrode arrays (30, 30′

), each of said plurality of electrode arrays having a plurality of electrodes (32) thereon through which electrical stimuli may be applied to body tissue;

processing means (21, 26, 27) and memory circuits (22, 24) included within the implantable pulse generator that cause stimulation pulses to be applied to selected electrodes (32) of the plurality of electrode arrays in accordance with a stimulation program stored within the memory circuits;

a rechargeable battery (27) included within the implantable pulse generator that provides operating power for the implantable pulse generator;

means (50) for non-invasively programming the memory circuits with a desired stimulation program; and

means (40) for non-invasively recharging the rechargeable battery.