Medical leads with segmented electrodes and methods of fabrication thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11033733-B2
Application number	US-201916299687-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2019
Priority date	Dec 5, 2013
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for fabricating a neurostimulation stimulation lead comprises: providing a plurality of ring components and hypotubes in a mold; placing an annular frame with multiple lumens over distal ends of the plurality of hypotubes to position a portion of each hypotube within a respective lumen of the annular frame; molding the plurality of ring components and the hypotubes to form a stimulation tip component for the stimulation lead, wherein the molding fills interstitial spaces between the plurality of ring components and hypotubes with insulative material; and forming segmented electrodes from the ring components after performing the molding.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating a neurostimulation stimulation lead comprising:
providing a plurality of ring components and hypotubes in a mold, wherein each one of the hypotubes is attached to a corresponding one of the plurality of ring components when placed in the mold;
placing an annular frame with multiple lumens over proximal ends of the plurality of hypotubes to position a portion of each hypotube within a respective lumen of the annular frame;
molding the plurality of ring components and the hypotubes to form a stimulation tip component for the stimulation lead, wherein the molding fills interstitial spaces between the plurality of ring components and hypotubes with insulative material; and
forming segmented electrodes from the ring components after performing the molding.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hypotubes extend from the annular frame structure after the molding is performed.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein multiple ones of the plurality of hypotubes extend different lengths after the molding is performed.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
applying a first weld and a second weld to attach each of the hypotubes to the corresponding ring component.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein an insulative coating is disposed on each hypotube of the plurality of hypotubes.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the insulative coating on each hypotube is one or more respective polyxylylene polymers.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein an insulative coating is disposed on an inner diameter of the segmented electrodes.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising: joining a lead body to the stimulation tip.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the joining comprises:
connecting a plurality of wires of the lead body to the hypotubes.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
placing a clam-shell shaped component of reflowable insulative material over the connection region between the plurality of wires and the hypotubes; and reflowing the material of the clam-shell component.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein each ring component comprises a step-down region that is secured underneath an outer surface of insulative material of the stimulation tip.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step-down region comprises a roughened surface.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
bead blasting the step-down region of each ring component to roughen the surface of the step-down region.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
twisting a lead body for the stimulation lead from a first configuration with linearly arranged conductor wires to obtain a second configuration with helically arranged conductor wires.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
heat setting the lead body to retain the second configuration with helically arranged conductor wires.

Assignees

• Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc

Inventors

• Sefkow Ryan
• Crawford Christopher A
• Mitchell Jeffrey
• Wilson Kevin
• Bray Raymond P
• Gonzalez John R

Classifications

• A61N1/0534 Primary

  Electrodes for deep brain stimulation · CPC title

• B29C45/14311

  using means for bonding the coating to the articles (B29C45/14795 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C45/14565

  at spaced locations, e.g. coaxial-cable wires · CPC title

• B29C45/14614

  Joining tubular articles · CPC title

• B29C45/14467

  Joining articles or parts of a single article (B29C45/14377, B29C45/14385, B29C45/14581, B29C45/14614 and B29C45/006 take precedence) · CPC title