Soft-coupling suspension system for an intradural spinal cord stimulator: Biophysical performance characteristics uri icon

abstract

  • We have characterized the mechanical compliance of an improved version of the suspension system used to position the electrode-bearing membrane of an intradural neuromodulator on the dorsal pial surface of the spinal cord. Over the compression span of 5 mm, it exhibited a restoring force of 2.4 N m-1 and a mean pressure of 0.5 mm Hg (=66 Pa) on the surface below it, well within the range of normal intrathecal pressures. We have implanted prototype devices employing this suspension and a novel device fixation technique in a chronic ovine model of spinal cord stimulation and found that it maintains stable contact at the electrode-pia interface without lead fracture, as determined by measurement of the inter-contact impedances. 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

published proceedings

  • Journal of Applied Physics

author list (cited authors)

  • Oya, H., Safayi, S., Jeffery, N. D., Viljoen, S., Reddy, C. G., Dalm, B. D., ... Howard, M. A.

citation count

  • 19

complete list of authors

  • Oya, H||Safayi, S||Jeffery, ND||Viljoen, S||Reddy, CG||Dalm, BD||Kanwal, JK||Gillies, GT||Howard, MA

publication date

  • October 2013