Spinal Cord Stimulation Lead with Segmented Lumens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spinal cord stimulation systems face challenges in precise delivery of electrical energy due to non-specific stimulation of both sensory and motor nerve tissues, leading to undesirable side effects and difficulty in controlling the amount of stimulation energy required, which can cause damage to surrounding tissues.
Innovation Solution
The development of devices and systems that allow for targeted stimulation at specific spinal levels, including the use of a delivery device with elongate structures having multiple openings and lumens to position electrodes selectively at different spinal levels, such as the dorsal root ganglion, reducing the number of access paths and improving precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional SCS systems use a lead positioned upon the spinal cord dura layer to stimulate a wide portion of the spinal cord, then pain relief coverage is improved, but non-specific stimulation of both sensory and motor nerve tissues causes undesirable side effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the spinal cord stimulation into multiple discrete levels (first spinal level, second spinal level, etc.) with separate openings and lumens for each level. This segmentation allows selective stimulation of specific spinal levels rather than broad non-specific stimulation, resolving the contradiction by enabling targeted pain relief while avoiding unwanted side effects from stimulating both sensory and motor nerve tissues across the entire cord.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements local quality by providing specific openings and lumens for delivering elements to different spinal levels, allowing the stimulation to be localized to specific regions (sensory vs motor) rather than affecting the entire spinal cord uniformly. This enables precise control over which nerve tissues are stimulated, achieving pain relief while minimizing harmful side effects.
2Reliability
If conventional SCS systems apply electrical energy to the spinal cord, then pain masking is achieved, but the amount of stimulation energy required is difficult to control and may cause damage to surrounding tissues
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the stimulation delivery into separate lumens for different spinal levels, the system can control and limit the energy delivered to each specific level independently. This prevents excessive energy accumulation that could damage surrounding tissues while maintaining effective pain masking at each targeted level.
Solution Approach 2:
The local quality principle enables precise control of stimulation energy delivery to specific spinal levels and nerve roots. Each lumen can be independently controlled to deliver appropriate energy levels to its target, avoiding the harmful effect of uncontrolled energy distribution that could damage surrounding tissues while maintaining effective pain relief.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple leads are implanted at different spinal levels to achieve targeted stimulation, then stimulation precision is improved, but the number of access paths and procedure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple stimulation functions into a single lead structure that contains multiple lumens extending through a single elongate body. This single lead with multiple lumens can deliver elements to multiple spinal levels through one access path, achieving the stimulation precision of multiple targeted levels while avoiding the procedural complexity of implanting separate leads at each level.
Solution Approach 2:
The single elongate structure with multiple lumens serves multiple functions simultaneously - it can deliver elements to the first spinal level, second spinal level, and potentially additional levels all through one lead. This multi-functional design achieves targeted stimulation precision while simplifying the implantation procedure by requiring only one access path instead of multiple separate lead implantations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables more precise and effective pain management by reducing procedure complexity and time, minimizing side effects, and allowing for simultaneous stimulation of multiple spinal levels with a single device, thereby improving the delivery of stimulation energy.
Implementation Method 1
The lead is implanted into the epidural space E of the spinal column and positioned against the dura layer D of the spinal cord S... electrodes 20 on its surface... electrical stimulation of large fibers of the spinal cord cause small fiber information to be reduced or eliminated
Data Source
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AI summary
Devices, systems and methods are provided for simultaneously stimulating the spinal anatomy at various locations, such as spinal levels, along the spinal cord. By stimulating multiple levels of the spinal column with the use of a single device, a single access path is created to an implantable pulse generator (IPG) rather than individual access paths for each lead at each spinal level to an IPG. By reducing the number of pathways, the procedure complexity, time and recovery are reduced. In addition, some embodiments provide additional specificity within each targeted level, such as selective stimulation of specific tissue, such as the dorsal root ganglion.