Endoscopic Lead Implantation Method

摘要

A method of implanting electrically conductive leads in the gastrointestinal musculature for stimulation of target tissues involves an endoscopic approach through the esophagus. An endoscope is inserted into the esophagus of a patient. The mucosal surface of the anterior esophagus is punctured in the region encompassing the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). A tunnel is created through the submucosa and exits at the muscularis propria, adventitia, or serosal side of the stomach. The lead is navigated further to the anterior abdominal wall. A first end of the lead remains within the gastrointestinal musculature while a second end of the lead is positioned just outside the anterior abdominal wall. The first end of the lead comprises at least one electrode. An implantable pulse generator (IPG) is implanted and operably connected to the second end of the lead to provide electrical stimulation to target tissues.

主权项

1. A method of implanting electrically conductive leads proximal to a gastrointestinal musculature of a patient utilizing an endoscopic approach, comprising the steps of:
inserting an endoscope into a gastrointestinal tract of a patient; identifying a gastrointestinal structure comprising said gastrointestinal musculature; entering a gastrointestinal (GI) wall with an electrically conductive lead from a mucosal side by puncturing a mucosa of an anterior segment of a region proximal to the gastrointestinal structure; creating a tunnel in a submucosa of the anterior segment of the region encompassing the gastrointestinal structure, the tunnel exiting the GI wall through a muscularis propria, adventitia, or serosal side of the gastrointestinal tract of the patient; navigating the lead through the tunnel to an anterior abdominal wall; and exiting a second end of the lead through the anterior abdominal wall while leaving a first end of the lead proximal to the gastrointestinal musculature of the patient within the tunnel, wherein the region encompassing the gastrointestinal structure comprises an area 3 cm above and 3 cm below the gastrointestinal structure.