Apparatus, System, and Method for Treating Atypical Headaches

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for facilitating intranasal administration of a medication to a patient's sphenopalatine / pterygopalatine recess. The apparatus includes a catheter having a lumen disposed therethrough, the catheter comprising an insertion end and a manipulation end, the insertion end having an intrinsic curvature with respect to a longitudinal axis of the catheter such that the insertion end of the catheter lies in a first plane and the manipulation end lies in a second plane, wherein the catheter smoothly transitions between the first plane and the second plane, the intrinsic curvature conforming to a patients nasal anatomy such that the catheter may be inserted into a sphenopalatine / pterygopalatine recess. The apparatus also includes a straightening member configured to removably engage the catheter. The straightening member straightens the intrinsic curvature such that the first plane and the second plane are aligned when the catheter is engaged by the straightening member.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 094,323 entitled “Apparatus, system and method for treating atypical headaches” and filed on Sep. 4, 2008 for Stephen Eldredge, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD[0002]This invention relates to parasympathetic nerve blockade and more particularly relates to blockade of sphenopalatine / pterygopalatine ganglia.BACKGROUNDDescription of the Related Art[0003]Sympathetic pain is a type of nerve pain that arises due to abnormalities in the function of the sympathetic nervous system. With sympathetic pain an abnormality in a group of nerves called a ganglion cause pain to an organ or body region. To treat sympathetic pain physicians can block a ganglion with the injection of medication into a specific area of the body. To therapeutically treat acute pain a physician injects a local anesthetic into the affected neuronal ganglion. This type of treatment may ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The apparatus, in one embodiment, includes a catheter, a straightening member, a spray orifice and a medication delivery port. In certain embodiments the catheter has a lumen disposed therethrough. The catheter includes an insertion end and a manipulation end. The insertion end of the catheter has an intrinsic curvature with respect to a longitudinal axis of the catheter such that the insertion end of the catheter lies in a first plane and the manipulation end lies in a second plane. The catheter smoothly transitions between the first plane and the second plane such that the intrinsic curvature is rounded and conforms to a patient's nasal anatomy. In certain embodiments the intrinsic curvature allows the catheter to be inserted into a sphenopalatine / pterygopalatine recess with minimum discomfort to the patient.

[0009]In one embodiment the straightening member is configured to removably engage the catheter. The straightening member straightens the intrinsic curvature of the insertion end such that the first plane and the second plane are aligned when the catheter is engaged by the straightening member. Thus, with the intrinsic curvature of the catheter straightened, the catheter can easily be inserted into a patients nasal cavity.

[0014]A method of the present invention is also presented for treating migraines. The method in the disclosed embodiments substantially includes the steps necessary to carry out the functions presented above with respect to the operation of the described apparatus. In one embodiment, the method includes inserting a catheter and a straightening member into a nostril of a patient, advancing the catheter and the straightening member past a middle sinus turbinate in the nostril of the patient. The catheter includes an insertion end and a manipulation end. The insertion end has an intrinsic curvature with respect to a longitudinal axis of the catheter such that the insertion end of the catheter lies in a first plane and the manipulation end lies in a second plane. The catheter smoothly transitions between the first plane and the second plane with the intrinsic curvature conforming to a patient's nasal anatomy. This allows the catheter to easily be inserted into a sphenopalatine / pterygopalatine recess. The straightening member removably engages the catheter and straightens the intrinsic curvature of the insertion end such that the first plane and the second plane are aligned when the catheter is engaged by the straightening member.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, any abnormality or injury to this structure may cause severe pain.

Unfortunately, because of the anatomical position of the sphenopalatine / pterygopalatine ganglia, the structure is very difficult to block with a local anesthetic solution.

Although direct needle placement can be employed under fluoroscopic guidance to administer anesthetic to the sphenopalatine / pterygopalatine ganglia, most practitioners will not attempt the procedure due to the technical difficulty and extreme dangers of an aberrant needle placement.

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