Fluorescent Sensing Composite Deep Electrode

Abstract

The present application relates to a fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode, belonging to the field of medical devices, and comprising: a tube body, on the outer part of which several annular electrodes are sequentially arranged along the axial direction, each annular electrode is connected with an electrode wire, and one end of the tube body is a closed end; several optical fiber sensors are also arranged on the tube body, the optical fiber sensors include a detection end and a transmission end, and the detection end is used for detecting the fluorescence generated when a fluorescent indicator acts on metal ions during the neuron activity process; the ends of the electrode wires far away from the annular electrodes and the transmission ends of the optical fiber sensors are led out from the end of the tube body far away from the closed end. The fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode provided by the present application can collect and monitor the electroencephalogram signals, metal ion concentration and distribution in the monitoring area in real time, synchronously and in the same position in the fields of neurosurgery and cerebrospinal nerve function research, and improves the monitoring accuracy of nerve activities and the diagnosis accuracy and efficiency of the lesions of nervous system diseases.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to a fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode. Background Art

[0002] Neuroelectrophysiological monitoring electrodes are widely used in the fields of neurosurgery and cerebrospinal nerve function research. For example, during the diagnosis of epilepsy, by implanting neuroelectrophysiological monitoring electrodes in the brain, the electrical signals generated by the activities of neurons in the brain can be collected. The brain electrical signals are processed externally to become electroencephalograms, which can help doctors locate the lesion sites of epilepsy. In spinal neurosurgery, by implanting electrophysiological monitoring electrodes, the changes in spinal cord electrical signals can be fed back in real time to prevent misoperations during surgery. Due to the complexity of nerve activities, relying solely on single electroencephalogram or spinal cord electrical signals is prone to monitoring errors, and neurosurgery is irreversible. Once the resection position is misjudged, it is easy to damage the dense functional areas of the brain, resulting in irreparable consequences. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to accurately monitor nerve activities during neurosurgery or nerve function research, this application provides a fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode.

[0004] The fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode provided by this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode, comprising:

[0006] A tube body, on the outer part of which several annular electrodes are sequentially arranged along the axial direction, each annular electrode is connected with an electrode wire, and one end of the tube body is a closed end;

[0007] Several optical fiber sensors are further arranged on the tube body. The optical fiber sensors include a detection end and a transmission end. The detection end is used to detect the fluorescence generated when the fluorescent indicator acts on metal ions during the neuron activity process;

[0008] The end of the electrode wire far from the annular electrode and the transmission end of the optical fiber sensor are led out from the end of the tube body far from the closed end.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solutions, the electroencephalogram signals and the concentration and distribution of metal ions can be obtained simultaneously and synchronously. The flow of metal ions such as sodium, potassium, and calcium inside and outside neuron cells will trigger nerve conduction. When the nerve activities in a local area of the brain intensify, the ion concentration and distribution in this area will be different from those in other normal areas; the concentration and distribution information of metal ions related to nerve activities can be compared with the electroencephalogram information, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the lesion diagnosis of nervous system diseases.

[0010] Optionally, the closed end of the tube body is formed by a ring-shaped electrode with one end closed.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, not only can a sealed space be formed inside the tube body, but also the electrical signals of neurons at corresponding positions can be monitored.

[0012] Optionally, the number of the optical fiber sensors is multiple, and the multiple optical fiber sensors are evenly divided into several groups. The detection ends of each group of optical fiber sensors are arranged close to the ring-shaped electrode, and the detection ends of several optical fiber sensors included in each group of optical fiber sensors are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the tube body on the same axial cross-section of the tube body;

[0013] The detection end of the optical fiber sensor extends out from the side wall of the tube body.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution, arranging the optical fiber sensors close to the ring-shaped electrode can realize synchronous and co-located monitoring of electroencephalogram and neuron activities, and arranging the optical fiber sensors on different cross-sections can improve the accuracy of neuron activity monitoring.

[0015] Optionally, the distance that the detection end of the optical fiber sensor extends out of the tube body is less than the distance between the outer surface of the ring-shaped electrode and the outer surface of the tube body.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the damage of the optical fiber sensor to human tissues can be reduced.

[0017] Optionally, a cable tube is arranged in the tube body far away from the closed end, and the transmission ends of several optical fiber sensors are all arranged in the cable tube.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, the lines of the optical fiber sensors can be neatly arranged in the tube body.

[0019] Optionally, a first through hole is formed on the ring-shaped electrode at the closed end of the tube body, and the detection end of the optical fiber sensor extends out from the first through hole or is flush with the end part of the corresponding ring-shaped electrode in a closed state.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solution, synchronous and co-located monitoring of the electrical signals of neurons and the ion transfer situation at the corresponding position of the closed end of the tube body can be realized.

[0021] Optionally, the closed end of the tube body is formed by a probe head inserted into the tube body. The probe head is axially provided with a second through hole, and the detection end of the optical fiber sensor extends out from the second through hole or is flush with the end part of the probe head far away from the tube body.

[0022] By adopting the above technical solution, the stability of the optical fiber sensor can be improved.

[0023] Optionally, the optical fiber sensor includes at least one conductive optical fiber.

[0024] By adopting the above technical solution, single-point monitoring or regional monitoring of neuron activities can be carried out.

[0025] Optionally, the tube body is made of polyurethane material, silicone material or polyimide material, and the outer diameter of the tube body is 0.3 - 3 mm.

[0026] By adopting the above technical solution, the tube body has good flexibility and a small volume, which is convenient for placing the composite electrode in the human body and reducing the damage to human tissues.

[0027] Optionally, the materials of the ring electrode and the electrode wire are platinum-iridium alloy, stainless steel or nickel-chromium alloy, and the distance between adjacent ring electrodes is 1 - 15 mm.

[0028] By adopting the above technical solution, multi-point monitoring of neuron activities can be carried out, and good signal output characteristics can be ensured.

[0029] Optionally, an injection tube for injecting a fluorescent indicator is inserted into the tube body. One end of the injection tube penetrates out of the closed end or is flush with the closed end, and the other end of the injection tube is led out from the end of the tube body far away from the closed end.

[0030] By adopting the above technical solution, the fluorescent indicator can be injected after the fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode is implanted into the brain tissue, which simplifies the steps of surgical operations or research.

[0031] In summary, the fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode provided by the present application can monitor the neuron electrical signals and the distribution of metal ions closely related to nerve activities in real time, synchronously and in the same position during neurosurgical operations and cerebrospinal nerve function research, improving the accuracy and efficiency of preoperative lesion diagnosis, and thus significantly reducing the treatment risk of neurosurgical operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode of Embodiment 1;

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode of Embodiment 1;

[0034] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a partial enlarged view of part A in

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode of Embodiment 2;

[0036] Figure 5Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode of Example 3;

[0037] Figure 6 is Figure 5 Partial enlarged view of part B in

[0038] Explanation of reference numerals: 1, tube body; 2, annular electrode; 21, electrode lead wire; 22, first via hole; 23, injection via hole; 3, optical fiber sensor; 31, detection end; 32, transmission end; 4, beam tube; 5, connection block; 6, electrode extension wire; 7, optical path extension wire; 8, plug; 9, probe head; 91, second via hole; 100, injection tube. Detailed implementation manners

[0039] The following Figures 1-6 further elaborates on this application in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] Referring to Figure 1 , the embodiment of this application discloses a fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode, including a tube body 1. Along the axial direction on the outer part of the tube body 1, a number of annular electrodes 2 are sequentially arranged. One end of one annular electrode 2 is closed and arranged at one end of the tube body 1 to form the closed end of the tube body 1. The closed end of the annular electrode 2 is arc-shaped to reduce the damage to human tissues when the annular electrode 2 is implanted into the human body.

[0042] The tube body 1 is made of organic polymer materials such as polyurethane, silica gel or polyimide to ensure its good flexibility. The outer diameter of the tube body 1 is set to 0.3 - 3 mm to facilitate implantation into the human body according to the requirements of surgical operations.

[0043] In this application, the annular electrodes 2 are embedded on the outer surface of the tube body 1, and a number of annular electrodes 2 are coaxially and evenly distributed on the outer surface of the tube body 1. The distance between adjacent annular electrodes 2 is set to 1 - 15 mm to enable multi-point collection of neuron electrical signals and ensure the accuracy of diagnosis. Those skilled in the art can set the number of electrodes according to needs, for example, it can be 4 - 8.

[0044] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , each annular electrode 2 is respectively connected with an electrode lead wire 21. At the position corresponding to the annular electrode 2 located in the middle of the tube body 1, a wire routing hole is opened on the tube body 1. The electrode lead wire 21 enters the inside of the tube body 1 from the wire routing hole and is led out from the end of the tube body 1 away from the closed end to facilitate connection with an external signal processing device.

[0045] The annular electrodes 2 and the electrode lead wires 21 are made of materials such as platinum-iridium alloy, stainless steel or nickel-chromium alloy to ensure good signal transmission characteristics.

[0046] Referring to Figure 3 , a plurality of optical fiber sensors 3 are provided on the tube body 1. The optical fiber sensors 3 include a detection end 31 and a transmission end 32. The plurality of optical fiber sensors 3 are evenly divided into several groups. Among them, the number of groups of the optical fiber sensors 3 can be the same as the number of the annular electrodes 2. However, in order to reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode, on the premise of ensuring that the nerve activity monitoring meets the usage requirements, the number of the optical fiber sensors 3 can be reduced so that the number of groups of the optical fiber sensors 3 is less than the number of the annular electrodes 2. The detection ends 31 of several groups of optical fiber sensors 3 are evenly distributed on different cross-sections along the axial direction of the tube body 1, and, on the same cross-section, the detection ends 31 of the optical fiber sensors 3 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the tube body 1. In this embodiment, the number of the optical fiber sensors 3 on the same cross-section is set to 4. However, in actual use, those skilled in the art can select the number of the optical fiber sensors 3 on the same cross-section according to needs.

[0047] The detection end 31 of the optical fiber sensor 3 extends out from the side wall of the tube body 1 so as to be able to collect the fluorescence emitted by the cerebrospinal fluid after injecting the fluorescent indicator. The distance that the detection end 31 of the optical fiber sensor 3 extends out from the side wall of the tube body 1 should be less than the distance between the outer surface of the annular electrode 2 and the outer surface of the tube body 1 to avoid damaging the human tissue by the detection end 31 of the optical fiber sensor 3. It should be noted that, in order to ensure the real-time, in-situ and synchronous monitoring of the neuron electrical signals and the distribution of metal ions, it is preferably to set the number of groups of the optical fiber sensors 3 to be the same as the number of the annular electrodes 2 and in one-to-one correspondence, and, the detection end 31 of each group of optical fiber sensors 3 is arranged close to the annular electrode 2.

[0048] It is easy to understand that those skilled in the art can also determine the arrangement manner of the detection ends 31 of the optical fiber sensors 3 on the tube body 1 according to actual needs as long as the nerve activity monitoring can be carried out.

[0049] In this application, the optical fiber sensor 3 is a structured optical fiber sensor, which includes several groups of conduction optical fiber bundles, and each group of conduction optical fiber bundles includes multiple conduction optical fibers. Since the cross-sectional area of the optical fiber bundle is large and the number of conduction optical fibers included is large, it can collect the fluorescence signals in a certain area to form an obtained area image, thereby improving the accuracy of monitoring the nerve conduction process. In this application, the number of groups of conduction optical fiber bundles included in the fluorescence sensor can be one group or multiple groups, and those skilled in the art can select according to needs.

[0050] In this application, the transmission end 32 of each optical fiber sensor 3 passes out from one end of the tube body 1 far away from the closed end to facilitate the connection with an external signal processing device. In order to make the conduction optical fibers neatly arranged inside the tube body 1, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3, a bunch tube 4 can be arranged at one end of the tube body 1 away from the closed end, and the conductive optical fibers of each fiber optic sensor 3 are all arranged in the bunch tube 4 and penetrate out from one end of the tube body 1 away from the closed end.

[0051] Referring to Figure 2 , a connection block 5 is arranged at one end of the tube body 1 away from the closed end. The connection block 5 can be fixedly connected or detachably connected to the tube body 1, and the connection block 5 can be made of the same or different organic polymer materials as the tube body 1. An electrode extension wire 6 and an optical path extension wire 7 for connecting with a signal processing device are fixedly connected to the connection block 5. The electrode extension wire 6 is connected to the electrode wire 21 inside the connection block 5, and the optical path extension wire 7 is connected to the transmission end 32 of the fiber optic sensor 3 inside the connection block 5.

[0052] When the connection block 5 is fixedly connected to the tube body 1, the corresponding ends of the tube body 1 and the bunch tube 4 can be integrally formed with the connection block 5 by injection molding, and the connection points of the electrode extension wire 6 and the electrode wire 21 and the connection points of the optical path extension wire 7 and the transmission end 32 of the fiber optic sensor 3 are fixed inside the connection block 5.

[0053] When the connection block 5 is detachably connected to the tube body 1, the end of the tube body 1 can be in threaded fit with the connection block 5, and the end of the bunch tube 4 only needs to extend into the connection block 5. The connection points of the electrode extension wire 6 and the electrode wire 21 and the connection points of the optical path extension wire 7 and the transmission end 32 of the fiber optic sensor 3 can be located inside the tube body 1.

[0054] The ends of the electrode extension wire 6 and the optical path extension wire 7 are connected with a plug 8 for facilitating connection with a signal processing device.

[0055] In this application, the signal processing device can be a multimodal brain-computer interface system.

[0056] Embodiment 2

[0057] Referring to Figure 4 , the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that a first through hole 22 is formed in the annular electrode 2 at the closed end of the tube body 1, and the axis of the first through hole 22 is preferably set to coincide with the axis of the tube body 1. The detection end 31 of the fiber optic sensor 3 extends out from the first through hole 22 or is flush with the end of the annular electrode 2. In this embodiment, the fiber optic sensor 3 includes several groups of conductive optical fiber bundles, so as to be able to collect fluorescence from the area corresponding to the end of the closed end of the tube body 1.

[0058] In this embodiment, an injection through-hole 23 is further provided on the annular electrode 2 at the closed end of the tube body 1. An injection tube 100 is disposed inside the tube body 1. One end of the injection tube 100 extends out of or is flush with the injection through-hole 23, and the other end of the injection tube 100 passes through the connection block 5. The end of the injection tube 100 extending out of the connection block 5 can be connected to an external fluorescent indicator injection tool. Thus, when the fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode is implanted into the brain, the fluorescent indicator can be injected into the brain tissue through the injection tube 100, simplifying the cumbersome steps of first injecting the fluorescent indicator into the brain and then implanting the electrode, and improving the efficiency of the surgical or research process. For the position of the injection through-hole 23 on the annular electrode 23, those skilled in the art can set it as needed.

[0059] It is easy to understand that in Embodiment 1 of the present application, an injection through-hole 23 can also be provided on the annular electrode 2 at the closed end, and the injection tube 100 can be disposed inside the tube body 1 in the same manner. At this time, although the fluorescent indicator is only injected into the cerebrospinal fluid from the closed end of the tube body 1, under the action of the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid and the intracranial pressure, the fluorescent indicator will diffuse and flow along the axis of the fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode, so that each optical fiber sensor 3 can collect fluorescence.

[0060] Embodiment 3

[0061] Referring to Figure 5 and Figure 6 In this embodiment, the difference from Embodiment 1 is that the closed end of the tube body 1 is formed by the probe head 9. The probe head 9 is generally cylindrical and made of a metal material such as stainless steel. One end of the probe head 9 is inserted into the tube body 1, and the other end is a smooth arc surface. The probe head 9 can play a good role in stabilizing the optical fiber sensor 3. A second through-hole 91 is axially provided in the center of the probe head 9, and the detection end 31 of the optical fiber sensor 3 extends out of the second through-hole 91 or is flush with the surface of the end of the probe head 9 away from the tube body 1. The structure of the optical fiber sensor 3 in this embodiment is the same as that of the optical fiber sensor 3 in Embodiment 2. Figure 6 The optical fiber sensor 3 shown includes multiple groups of conductive optical fiber bundles.

[0062] In Embodiment 3, an injection tube 100 can also be disposed inside the tube body 1. One end of the injection tube 100 passes through the probe head 9 or is flush with the end of the probe head 9, so that the fluorescent indicator can be injected into the cerebrospinal fluid along the injection tube 100. The other end of the injection tube 100 also passes through the connection block 5.

[0063] The working principle of the fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode disclosed in the present application is:

[0064] Biologically, the flow of metal ions such as sodium, potassium, and calcium inside and outside neuron cells triggers nerve conduction and generates electrical signals during this process. When the nerve activity in a local area of the brain intensifies, the ion concentration and distribution in that area will be different from those in other normal areas. Therefore, the concentration and distribution of metal ions such as sodium, potassium, and calcium inside and outside nerve cells can directly reflect the activity characteristics of neurons. Metal ion fluorescent indicators can produce fluorescence when combined with corresponding metal ions. When the ion concentration and distribution are different, the intensity, color, and distribution of the fluorescence are also different, thus indirectly collecting the concentration and distribution of metal ions related to nerve activity outside the body, providing strong data support for doctors to diagnose nervous system diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. After the fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode is implanted into the brain tissue, the fluorescent indicator is first injected into the electrode monitoring area through the injection tube 100. The fluorescent indicator penetrates into the gap between the electrode and the brain tissue. Several annular electrodes 2 can detect neuron electrical signals, and the optical fiber sensor 3 detects the fluorescence signals in the corresponding area. When the electrical signals output by the annular electrodes 2 and the optical signals output by the optical fiber sensor 3 are output to an external signal processing device, a waveform diagram of the neuron electrical signals and the concentration and distribution of metal ions during the neuron activity process can be obtained.

[0065] The fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode provided by this application can accurately monitor nerve activity during neurosurgery or nerve function research by collecting neuron electrical signals and the distribution of metal ions closely related to nerve activity in real-time, synchronously, and in the same position, improving the positioning accuracy of the lesion area and the success rate of surgical operations.

[0066] The above is the preferred embodiment of this application. It does not limit the protection scope of this application accordingly. Therefore, all equivalent changes made according to the structure, shape, and principle of this application should be covered within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode, characterized in that, Comprising: A tube body (1), along the axial direction on the outside of the tube body (1), a number of annular electrodes (2) are sequentially arranged, each annular electrode (2) is connected with an electrode wire (21), and one end of the tube body (1) is a closed end; A number of optical fiber sensors (3) are further arranged on the tube body (1), the optical fiber sensor (3) includes a detection end (31) and a transmission end (32), and the detection end (31) is used for detecting fluorescence generated when a fluorescent indicator acts on metal ions during the neuron activity process; One end of the electrode wire (21) far from the annular electrode (2) and the transmission end (32) of the optical fiber sensor (3) are led out from one end of the tube body (1) far from the closed end; An injection tube (100) for injecting a fluorescent indicator is arranged inside the tube body (1), one end of the injection tube (100) penetrates out of the closed end or is flush with the closed end, and the other end of the injection tube (100) is led out from one end of the tube body (1) far from the closed end and is connected with an external fluorescent indicator injection tool.

2. The fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 1, wherein The closed end of the tube body (1) is formed by an annular electrode (2) with one end closed.

3. The fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 2, wherein The number of the optical fiber sensors (3) is multiple, the multiple optical fiber sensors (3) are evenly divided into several groups, the detection end (31) of each group of optical fiber sensors (3) is arranged close to the annular electrode (2), and the detection ends (31) of several optical fiber sensors (3) included in each group of optical fiber sensors (3) are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the tube body (1) on the same axial cross-section of the tube body (1); The detection end (31) of the optical fiber sensor (3) extends out from the side wall of the tube body (1).

4. The fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 3, wherein The distance that the detection end (31) of the optical fiber sensor (3) extends out of the tube body (1) is less than the distance between the outer surface of the annular electrode (2) and the outer surface of the tube body (1).

5. The fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 3, characterized in that, A bundle tube (4) is arranged inside the tube body (1) far from the closed end, and the transmission ends (32) of several optical fiber sensors (3) are all arranged inside the bundle tube (4).

6. The fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 2, wherein A first through hole (22) is formed on the annular electrode (2) located at the closed end of the tube body (1), and the detection end (31) of the optical fiber sensor (3) extends out from the first through hole (22) or is flush with the closed end of the corresponding annular electrode (2).

7. The fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that The closed end of the tube body (1) is formed by a probe head (9) inserted into the tube body (1), the probe head (9) is axially provided with a second through hole (91), and the detection end (31) of the optical fiber sensor (3) extends out from the second through hole (91) or is flush with the end of the probe head (9) far from the tube body (1).

8. The fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that The optical fiber sensor (3) includes at least one group of conductive optical fiber bundles.

9. The fluorescence sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 8, wherein The tube body (1) is made of polyurethane material, silica gel material or polyimide material, and the outer diameter of the tube body (1) is 0.3 - 3 mm.

10. The fluorescent sensing composite deep electrode according to claim 8, wherein, The materials of the annular electrode (2) and the electrode wire (21) are platinum-iridium alloy, stainless steel or nickel-chromium alloy, and the distance between adjacent annular electrodes (2) is 1 - 15 mm.

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