Intraoperative nerve evaluation device and system, and method for performing intraoperative nerve evaluation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018199894-A1
Application number	US-201715817348-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2017
Priority date	Jan 17, 2017
Publication date	Jul 19, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An intraoperative nerve evaluation device includes a flexible substrate, and a plurality of detection units disposed on the substrate and spaced apart from one another. Each of the detection units includes an electrode and a conductive wire electrically connected to the electrode. When the electrodes are attached to a nerve, a selected one of the electrodes is configured to receive an input signal via the corresponding conductive wire and to transmit the input signal to the nerve, and each of the electrodes other than the selected one is configured to receive from the nerve a response signal associated with the input signal and to transmit the response signal via the corresponding conductive wire.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An intraoperative nerve evaluation device comprising:
a flexible substrate; and a plurality of detection units disposed on said substrate and spaced apart from one another, each of said detection units including an electrode configured to be attached to a nerve of a subject, and a conductive wire electrically connected to said electrode, wherein, when said electrodes of said detection units are attached to the nerve, said electrode of a selected one of said detection units is configured to receive an input signal via said conductive wire of the selected one of said detection units and to transmit the input signal to the nerve, and said electrode of each of said detection units other than the selected one is configured to receive, from the nerve, a response signal associated with the input signal and to transmit the response signal via said conductive wire of said detection unit.

2 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation device of claim 1 , wherein:
said substrate has a first surface, and a second surface that is opposite to said first surface; said electrodes of said detection units are disposed on said first surface; and said conductive wires of some of said detection units are entirely arranged on said first surface, and said conductive wires of others of said detection units each extend on said first surface, pass through said substrate to said second surface and extend on said second surface.

3 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation device of claim 2 , wherein:
said substrate has an electrode part, and a wire part extending and substantially tapering from said electrode part in a first direction; and said electrodes of said detection units are disposed on said electrode part, and said conductive wires of said detection units extend from said electrode part to said wire part.

4 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation device of claim 3 , wherein said substrate further has an extension part that extends from one side of said wire part opposite to said electrode part in the first direction, and said conductive wires of said detection units further extend to said extension part.

5 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation device of claim 4 , wherein a width of said extension part in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is smaller than that of said electrode part.

6 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation device of claim 1 , wherein:
said substrate has a first surface, and a second surface that is opposite to said first surface; and each of said detection units is disposed on said first surface.

7 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation device of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is made of polyimide (PI).

8 . An intraoperative nerve evaluation system comprising:
an intraoperative nerve evaluation device that includes a flexible substrate, and a plurality of detection units disposed on said substrate and spaced apart from one another, each of said detection units including an electrode and a conductive wire electrically connected to said electrode, said electrodes of said detection units being configured to be attached a nerve; a signal input module electrically connected to said conductive wire of a selected one of said detection units, and configured to transmit an input signal to said electrode of the selected one of said detection units; a controller electrically connected to said signal input module and configured to control operation of said signal input module; a signal amplifier module electrically connected to said controller and said conductive wires of said detection units other than the selected one, and configured to receive, from said conductive wires connected thereto, a number of response signals associated with the input signal, to amplify the response signals, and to transmit amplified response signals to said controller; and a display electrically connected to said controller and controlled by said controller to display the amplified response signals from said signal amplifier module.

9 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation system of claim 8 , wherein:
said substrate has a first surface, and a second surface that is opposite to said first surface; said electrodes of said detection units are disposed on said first surface; and said conductive wires of some of said detection units are entirely arranged on said first surface, and said conductive wires of others of said detection units each extend on said first surface, pass through said substrate to said second surface and extend on said second surface.

10 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation system of claim 9 , wherein:
said substrate has an electrode part, and a wire part extending and tapering from said electrode part in a first direction; and said electrodes of said detection units are disposed on said electrode part, and said conductive wires of said detection units extend from said electrode part to said wire part.

11 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation system of claim 10 , wherein said substrate further has an extension part that extends from one side of said wire part opposite to said electrode part in the first direction, and said conductive wires of said detection units further extend to said extension part.

12 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation system of claim 11 , wherein a width of said extension part in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is smaller than that of said electrode part.

13 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation system of claim 8 , wherein:
said substrate has a first surface, and a second surface that is opposite to said first surface; and each of said detection units is disposed on said first surface.

14 . The intraoperative nerve evaluation system of claim 8 , wherein said substrate is made of polyimide (PI).

15 . A method for performing intraoperative nerve evaluation, the method to be implemented by a system that includes an intraoperative nerve evaluation device, a controller, a signal input module, a signal amplifier module and a display, the nerve evaluation device including a plurality of detection units that are disposed on a substrate and that are spaced apart from one another, each of the detection units including an electrode and a conductive wire coupled to the electrode, the electrodes of the detection units being attached to respective parts of a nerve of a subject, the signal input module being electrically connected to the conductive wire of a selected one of the detection units, the signal amplifier module being electrically connected to the conductive wire of each of the detection units other than the selected one, the method comprising:
a) controlling, by the controller, the signal input module to transmit an input signal to the electrode of the selected one of the detection units via the conductive wire of the selected one of the detection units; b) receiving, by the signal amplifier module, a number of response signals from the conductive wires of the detection units other than the selected one; c) amplifying, by the signal amplifier module, the number of response signals so as to generate a number of amplified response signals; d) receiving, by the controller, the number of amplified response signals from the signal amplifier module; and e) controlling, by the controller, the display to display the number of amplified response signals.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising, after d):
f) analyzing, by the controller, the number of amplified response signals.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the input signal transmitted by the sig

Assignees

• Univ Chang Gung
• Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou

Inventors

• Pei Yu-Cheng
• Chen Ting-Yu
• Lin Cheng-Hung
• Huang Jian-Jia

Classifications

• A61B5/24 Primary

  Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof · CPC title

• A61B5/7225

  Details of analogue processing, e.g. isolation amplifier, gain or sensitivity adjustment, filtering, baseline or drift compensation (input circuits for detecting, measuring, or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals A61B5/30; specific diagnostic methods using bioelectric or biomagnetic signals A61B5/316) · CPC title

• A61B2562/164

  the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier · CPC title

• A61B5/742

  using visual displays (displays for heart-related electrical signals, e.g. ECG, A61B5/339) · CPC title

• A61B5/7282 Primary

  Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition (cough events A61B5/0823; seizures A61B5/4094; sleep apnoea A61B5/4818) · CPC title