729 results about "Skull bone" patented technology

A cerebral and / or interface system has a housing mechanism configured to be at least partially spaced in a cavity formed in the subject's skull; an attaching mechanism for attaching the housing mechanism to the subject's skull; a sealing mechanism for providing a fluid-tight seal between the housing mechanism and the subject's skull; a control mechanism spaced within the housing mechanism; a communication mechanism with one or more sensors embedded in the subject's brain connecting the control mechanism to the subject's brain; and a power source spaced within the housing mechanism. Optional embodiments include a treatment portion for cooling or heating adjacent tissue, a medicament portion for administering medicament to adjacent tissue, a separate auxiliary compartment with a removable lid secured to or spaced apart from the housing mechanism, contacts extending outwardly from housing mechanism, and / or a supporting mechanism for precisely displacing the housing mechanism angularly or along x-, y-, and z-axes.

An apparatus and method for forming a hole in material for non-medical and medical purposes such as a cranial burr hole for ventriculostomy and brain biopsy procedures. The apparatus includes a main unit upon which a drill unit is located. The drill unit includes a drill bit and an on / off switching means. The main unit includes a handle which is suitable for grasping, and an advancing mechanism including a release / engage mechanism, and an advancing lever and an optional on / off switch. The drill unit is advanced a predetermined distance relative to the main unit each time an advancing lever is pulled. In use, the apparatus is placed in a desired position upon the material to be drilled such a patient's skull and is stabilized by a stabilization platform, the apparatus is then turned on, and the advancing lever is pulled to advance the drill unit a predetermined distance relative to a longitudinal axis of the main unit with each pull of the advancing lever. The procedure is ended when the desired depth of penetration has been reached, or the material such as in the case of skull bone, has been completely penetrated.

In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for securing an electrical stimulation lead in position in a person's brain. The apparatus includes a flexible disc comprising a substantially radial slot adapted to secure the lead in position within the brain after implantation. The slot is adapted to elastically expand as the lead is inserted into the slot and is also adapted to elastically contract on the lead to secure the lead in position within the brain after implantation. The apparatus further includes a ring adapted to seat within a burr hole formed in the person's skull. The ring comprises a channel adapted to receive and secure the flexible disc.

Pre-surgical planning for cranial and facial reconstruction includes preparing a computer generated jaw or skull model for determining a locational position for a dental implant, a surgical bone implant to repair missing bone in the cranium, install ear prostheses, and / or install nose prostheses. The computer generated jaw or skull model is made from medical imagery and computer aided design. A surgical guide is prepared with oversize holes in registration with analogs for the dental or surgical bone implants to be inserted at the locational positions determined by a dentist or surgeon in the jaw or cranial skull model. The surgical guide is fitted atop each analog, and the surgical guide is bonded to the jaw or skull model at a predetermined angle of the analog in the jaw or skull. The surgical guide is removed from the model attached to the law or skull of a patient for accurate drilling during the dental or surgical procedure for insertion of the implants into the jaw or skull of the patient.

A vibrator for a bone conduction-type hearing aid device by which sound information is mechanically transmitted via the skull bone directly to the inner ear of a person with impaired hearing. The vibrator includes a coil that is directly into two coil halves for generating a dynamic magnetic field and a permanent magnet for generating a static magnetic field. The permanent magnet is radially magnetized and arranged in such a way that the static and dynamic magnetic fields coincide in air gaps formed between the coil and magnet arrangement and the casing, whereby the vibrator provides an axial force.

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are disclosed herein for virtually planning a cranial guided surgery in a subject. These include, in some embodiments, generating a first data set based on input data obtained of a reference structure having a defined fixed relation to a bone structure of said subject and generating a second data set based on input data obtained of a master structure for a surgical template, where the master structure has a defined relation to said reference structure. Further, in some embodiments, a third data set for production of said surgical can be generated based on the first data send and the second data set, wherein the relation of said reference structure to said master structure is preserved.

The hearing-aid interconnection system has a skin-penetrating hearing-aid abutment (2) and a fixture (4) anchored in a skull bone (6). A first press fit is formed between a first contact surface (8a) of the abutment and a first fixture contact surface (10a) of the fixture. The first abutment contact surface extends around the first fixture contact surface. A second press fit is formed between a second contact surface (8b) of the abutment and a second fixture contact surface (10b) of the fixture. The second fixture contact surface extends around the second abutment contact surface.

The invention comprises an elongated device adapted for insertion, including self-insertion, through the body, especially the skull. The device has at least one effector or sensor and is configured to permit implantation of multiple functional components through a single entry site into the skull by directing the components at different angles. The device may be used to provide electrical, magnetic, and other stimulation therapy to a patient's brain. The lengths of the effectors, sensors, and other components may completely traverse skull thickness (at a diagonal angle) to barely protrude through to the brain's cortex. The components may directly contact the brain's cortex, but from there their signals can be directed to targets deeper within the brain. Effector lengths are directly proportional to their battery size and ability to store charge. Therefore, longer angled electrode effectors not limited by skull thickness permit longer-lasting batteries which expand treatment options.

A method and device for connecting a bone conductor transducer contained in a housing to the skull bone for the transmission of vibrations characterized by, that the housing has at least one surface, which is placed against the bottom plane of a recess shaped in the temporal bone with a static force exceeding the dynamic signal forces.

New and useful neurostimulation systems are provided that include an implantable pulse generator dimensioned and configured for implantation in the skull of a patient. The implantable pulse generator has an electrode operatively associated with a distal end portion thereof and can be provided with adjustment means, such as an adjustable biasing member or spring arranged between the electrode to the distal end portion of the pulse generator. Also provided are systems involving networked neurostimulators that are configured and adapted to work jointly in accordance with prescribed treatment protocol to effect a desired recovery from brain injury. Such networked neurostimulation systems are particularly advantageous for effecting relatively large and / or relatively distant regions of the brain. Additionally, systems and methods for motor-evoked potential (MEP)-based neuromodulation are provided. Further, AC and / or DC stimulation can be utilized, depending on the precise implementation.

The arrangement is for controlling the connection for a hearing aid (15) with a fixture (13) anchored in the skull bone. A control arm (1) extends from a connector (17), disposed between the hearing aid (15) and an abutment (9), to a handle (3) disposed at a side of the hearing aid (15) where the handle (3) is reachable by a patient. Biasing means provides a biasing force for biasing the control arm towards the connector (17). The control arm (1) is in operative engagement with the biasing means and movable in a direction to counter-act the biasing force of the biasing means to release the abutment (9) from the connector (17).

According to an embodiment, a transcutaneous active bone anchored hearing aid device is disclosed. The transcutaneous active bone anchored hearing aid device comprises an audio processor comprising means for being externally worn by a hearing aid user and an implantable part comprising transducer means for providing a structure-borne acoustic signal to the skull bone of the hearing aid user. The implantable part comprises a low frequency vibrator and a high frequency vibrator arranged next to each other.

The hearing-aid interconnection system has a skin-penetrating hearing-aid abutment (2) and a fixture (4) anchored in a skull bone (6). A first press fit is formed between a first contact surface (8a) of the abutment and a first fixture contact surface (10a) of the fixture. The first abutment contact surface extends around the first fixture contact surface. A second press fit is formed between a second contact surface (8b) of the abutment and a second fixture contact surface (10b) of the fixture. The second fixture contact surface extends around the second abutment contact surface.

A system and methods for providing an access to a cochlea of a living subject. In one embodiment of the present invention, a method comprises the steps of operating a surgical instrument towards a region of interest of the living subject for opening an access to the cochlea of the living subject from the lateral edge of the skull of the living subject to the cochlea of the living subject, and intra-operatively monitoring at least a part of the surgical instrument so that the surgical instrument is operated substantially along a predetermined path.

A bone conduction hearing aid system includes a hearing aid housing with a hearing aid vibrator. A skin interface has an interface connector offset on an outer interface surface and detachably connected to a housing connector. A skin adhesive connects to the skin of a patient user to transmit the sound vibrations through the skin to underlying skull bone for transmission by bone conduction to a hearing organ of the user. When the skin adhesive is pressed against the skin of the user, the skin is initially engaged during an initial engagement period with an initial adhesive force that promotes removal and relocation of the skin interface, and the skin is fully engaged after the initial engagement period with a full adhesive force greater than the initial adhesive force that promotes a fixed secure connection that resists removal of the skin interface.

An implantable magnetic transducer arrangement is described for a hearing implant in a recipient patient. An implant housing hermetically encapsulates an interior housing volume and is fixedly attached to skull bone beneath the skin of the patient. A magnetic transducer is located within the housing volume and includes multiple permanent magnets wherein adjacent magnets have opposite magnetic polarities, and one or more suspension elements that resiliently couple adjacent magnets to allow their relative movement. The magnetic transducer forms a coupled oscillating system with an external magnetic drive component above the skin of the patient to develop a mechanical stimulation signal to the implant housing for delivery by bone conduction of the skull bone as an audio signal to the cochlea of the patient.

An implantable magnet arrangement is described for a hearing implant in a recipient patient. A pair of implant magnets are fixable in a common plane beneath the skin of the patient to underlying skull bone. At least one of the magnets is adapted to transform a magnetic drive signal from an external signal drive coil into a corresponding mechanical stimulation signal for delivery by bone conduction of the skull bone as an audio signal to the cochlea. Each implant magnet includes a pair of internal magnets lying in parallel planes which meet along a common junction with repelling like magnetic polarities facing towards each other, and the magnetic polarities of each implant magnet are reversed from each other.

A screw-shaped anchoring fixture for anchoring a prosthesis in the skull bone. The anchoring fixture comprises a main body configured to be implanted into the bone and a flange configured to function as a stop to prevent the main body from completely penetrating through the bone. The main body comprises a distal tapered apical portion, a first portion, and a second portion. The inner diameter of the second portion is greater than the inner diameter of the first portion. The method for inserting the anchoring fixture includes providing the anchoring fixture, drilling a hole, and inserting the anchoring fixture into the hole until the flange contacts the skull bone, wherein the hole has a diameter that is greater than the inner diameter of the first portion and less than the outer diameter of the second portion.

A hearing aid apparatus is intended for sound transmission from one side of the head to the cochlea on the other side of the head for rehabilitation of patients with unilateral hearing loss. The hearing aid apparatus is based on the bone conducting principle for bone anchored hearing aids and includes a vibratory generating part that is mechanically anchored by means of osseointegration in the skull bone at the deaf side of the patient and arranged to transmit vibrations through the skull bone from the deaf side to the inner ear on the other side of the patient. The frequency characteristics of the apparatus are preferably adapted in such a way that the amplification is higher for frequencies above 1 kHz than for lower frequencies, which is in contrast to an ordinary bone anchored hearing aid.

A head clamp for Magnetic Resonance and X-ray imaging is generally C-shaped including a base and two legs carrying pin clamp members. A course and fine adjustment system allows one of the clamp members to move inwardly relative to the other and then to be finely adjusted so as to apply a clamping force to the skull. The C-shaped support member comprises a truss with a C-shaped inner band adjacent the skull, an outer band generally following the shape of inner band and a plurality of openings defining spaced bars between the inner band and the outer band. The adjustment system comprises a screw that adjusts the width of the C-shaped member at the base and at one leg and includes a gauge to measure force applied with the mechanism located outside the field of view of the head both vertically and horizontally.

A device and method is described for electronic human prosthetics, and specifically a skull- and / or spine implantable bi-directional neural-communication / brain-machine interface (BBMI) device where the input, output and on-board computing are combined into a single unit to form a compact neuro-prosthetics device. This invention is also directed to a fully implantable wireless spinal electronic recording and stimulation system using the BBMI in a human. The bi-directional devices (BBMIs) communicate with other bi-directional brain-machine interface devices (BBMI) and / or with external controllers wirelessly. The compact implantable stimulator has ultrasonic secondary battery charging system. One or more BBMI can be wirelessly connected so that a closed loop of BBMIs, or a BBMI and an external controller, can wirelessly send trigger pulses to this fully implanted stimulator over the spinal cord.

Thermal drawing processes can be used to make multifunctional, high-resolution neural probes for neural recording and stimulation. An exemplary neural probe may include one or more conductive fibers or microelectrodes coated with two or more layers of insulating material, at least one of which is partially etched to expose a tip at the neural probe's distal end. The conductive fibers conduct electrical signals (e.g., neural spikes or electrical stimulation) between the tip and the neural probe's proximal end. Optional optical and fluidic waveguides may guide light and fluid, respectively, between the tip and the proximal end. A neural probe may be flexible enough for long-term (chronic) implantation in neural tissue (e.g., the brain) without excessive tissue damage, even during movement of the brain in the skull. The probe may be made from biocompatible materials, such as insulating and conductive polymers, that have negligible (insignificant) interaction with the surrounding tissue.

The invention is a manufacturing method for titanium alloy cranial bone dummy, applies to cranial nerves surgery cranial bone renovation field. The invention assembles the dummy based on the CT picture of patient; the character lies in: the computer with universal image processing software and back designing software reconstructs the three-dimension prototype of patient head after dividing the fracture image, designs the dummy of defect part according to the three-dimension prototype, and the designed dummy curved surface is guided into multi-point forming system and quick-prototype system to press titanium network board and produce dummy slice model, finally forms the terminal dummy through comparing and cutting the titanium network board; the invention uses multi-point forming technology to compress the dummy quickly, it can uses the softness character of mouldless multi-point to compress the dummy in order to solves the back springing problem. The cost is low, the speed is high.

The invention discloses a digital orthodontic tooth arrangement method based on tooth root information and a bracket transfer device designing method based on the digital orthodontic tooth arrangement method. The digital orthodontic tooth arrangement method based on the tooth root information comprises the following steps that data are read in; a complete tooth model is guided in, and receiving data of the digital orthodontic tooth arrangement design include a skull STL model of a patient and a complete tooth STL model; characteristics of each tooth are extracted and include complete data of the dental crown and the tooth root; a tooth characteristic constraint database is built and includes a serial number of each tooth and coordinates and serial numbers of characteristic points in a point cloud model; digital lower jaw tooth arrangement is performed; digital upper jaw tooth arrangement is performed. The digital orthodontic tooth arrangement method based on the tooth root information is applied to an orthodontic treatment plan, parameterization comprehensive tooth arrangement of visualized adjustment of dental crown contact and tooth root postures is achieved, a bracket transfer device is designed after tooth arrangement is performed, and the digital orthodontic tooth arrangement method has the important application value in the computer-assisted orthodontic field.

The invention discloses a personalized skull dummy and a preparation method thereof. In the personalized skull dummy, a medicinal metal material is used as a substrate, and a plurality of meshes are arranged on the substrate. The invention is characterized in that: the personalized skull dummy has a smooth profile edge; and the profile of the personalized skull dummy is matched with the profile of the defective part of the skull of a patient. The drawback that the edge of the skull metal dummy is coarsened when the edge profile of a skull metal dummy is trimmed after the three-dimensional forming of the skull metal dummy is accomplished in the prior art is overcome. The invention also discloses a preparation method of the personalized skull dummy, which comprises: acquiring the data on the skull image of a patient; performing the computer-based three-dimensional reconstruction of the skull and the computer-assisted design of the skull dummy; outputting dummy curved surface data output; acquiring a corresponding two-dimensional plane of the three-dimensional curved surface by computing; designing the skull dummy with the personalized profile by using the two-dimensional plane graphwith the specific edge profile; processing and forming the metal dummy; and the like.

A coupling device for attaching the external hearing aid part to the skull bone anchored part in a bone conducting hearing aid apparatus. The retaining force in the coupling device is substantially established with a permanent magnet. The bone anchored part and the external hearing aid part include a magnetic part.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment of a brain affection, which comprises at least one implantable generator (4) made of non-ferromagnetic material comprising a casing (7), an ultrasound generating treating device (11) positioned into said casing to induce brain affection treatment by emission of ultrasound waves, and means for fastening the implantable casing into the skull. The apparatus further comprises a power controller (PwC) to supply electricity to the treating device of the implantable generator and to set and control its working parameters, and connecting means (6) to connect the power controller and the treating device of the implantable generator. A method for treating a brain affection with such an apparatus is also disclosed.

Subdural arrays transmit electrocorticogram recordings wirelessly, across the patient's skull, allowing the craniotomy used for surgical placement of the arrays to be completely closed. In various embodiments, the arrays also respond to commands, applying signal patterns to the patient's brain for diagnostic and treatment purposes.

The invention regards a method for programming a hearing aid wherein the hearing aid user is initially tested by subjecting the user to air borne sound and / or to bone transmitted vibrations, and based on the test results a bone conducting hearing threshold of a bone integrated bone conducting hearing aid is calculated, and further a bone conducting hearing aid is chosen and applied to a skin penetrating abutment which is firmly attached to a bone integrated fixture in the skull bone of the hearing aid user. According to the invention the vibrator in the chosen hearing aid is caused to vibrate at different frequencies and vibration levels and feed-back from the hearing aid user is obtained in order to obtain knowledge of the hearing aid users experienced hearing threshold with the attached hearing aid and finally the experienced hearing threshold is used to fine tune this same hearing aid for future wearing by the user.