| US 7,571,000 B2 | ||
| Apparatus for stimulating components in, on, or near the pudendal nerve or its branches to achieve selective physiologic responses | ||
| Joseph W. Boggs, II, Columbus, Ga. (US); Brian J. Wenzel, Cave Creek, Ariz. (US); Kenneth J. Gustafson, Shaker Heights, Ohio (US); and Warren M. Grill, Cleveland, Ohio (US) | ||
| Assigned to Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (US) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 11, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/402,036. | ||
| Application 11/402036 is a division of application No. 10/662055, filed on Sep. 12, 2003, granted, now 7,047,078. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0184208 A1, Aug. 17, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. A61N 1/36 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 607—41 | 7 Claims |
| 1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more electrodes configured to be placed on or in a targeted component of a pudendal nerve and to stimulate the targeted
component of the pudendal nerve, where the targeted component of the pudendal nerve includes one or more of, a urethral afferent
of the pudendal nerve, and afferent nerve fibers in the deep perineal nerve;
a programmable controller coupled to the one or more electrodes, the programmable controller being programmable to selectively
apply a member of a set of electrical signals to the one or more electrodes to stimulate the targeted component of the pudendal
nerve,
where the programmable controller applies a first member of the set of electrical signals to the one or more electrodes to
produce a first physiologic response, the first member of the set of electrical signals being generated according to a first
set of predefined attributes, and
where the programmable controller applies a second member of the set of electrical signals to the one or more electrodes to
produce a second physiologic response, the second member of the set electrical signals being generated according to a second
set of predefined attributes,
where the first physiologic response is controlling urinary incontinence and the second physiologic response is controlling
micturition,
where the first set of predefined attributes and the second set of predefined attributes control the programmable controller
to generate electrical signals having a set of attributes including a waveform, an amplitude, and a frequency, the amplitude
being in the range of 5 mA to 20 mA, the frequency being in the range of 2 Hertz to 33 Hertz, the amplitude being the same
for both the first set of predefined attributes and the second set of predefined attributes, and
where controlling urinary incontinence is stimulated by applying an electrical signal with a frequency of 2 Hz and controlling
micturition is stimulated by applying an electrical signal with a frequency of 20 Hz.
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