| 摘要 |
<p>Apparatus and methods for cooling selected regions within a body are described herein. An implantable cooling system (12) is used to cool regions of the brain, spinal cord, fibrous nerve bodies, e.g., vagus nerve, etc. down to about 30 °C to diminish nerve impulses which control seizures or chronic pain. The system includes an implantable unit (14) containing a pumping mechanism (48) and/or various control electronics. It also has a heat exchanger (26) attachable to a tubular body organ, such as the superior vena cava or the inferior vena cava, through which the heat is effectively dissipated. Also included is a heat pump such as a Peltier junction (42) configured to be placed into contact with the region of tissue to be cooled The heated portion of the Peltier junction is cooled by a liquid heat transfer medium (58) which absorbs the heat form the junction and dissipates it into the tubular body organ.</p> |
