title: A new neuroimplantable device: the tulgar implant. Initial results of animal testing.
abstract: A new neuroimplant system, namely the Tulgar implant, developed to solve the practical problems encountered with the presently available implants, was tested as a spinal cord stimulator in ten sheep. The response of living tissue and technical performance of the new system were evaluated. Electrodes implanted in the low thoracic (T9-10) vertebral levels by means of hemilaminectomy were subcutaneously connected to the passive coil receiver element located in the anterior-inferior chest wall for 28 days. Laboratory parameters including hematology, biochemistry, and microbiology were investigated over the study, and histopathologic examinations were done by the end of study. Animal tests showed that the new system could reliably be implantable in the living tissue. Intra-operative radicular stimulation of the right dorsal root in T13-L1 levels, by means of burst mode of signals, resulted in observable contractions of hip muscles in the right upper leg.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurosurgery,              Histology and Embriology, and              Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University;              Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey;              Infectious Diseases Clinic, Numune Hospital, Konya, Turkey;              Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic, State Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey; and              Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kalkan
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arican
authors.forename: S Serpil
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kalkan
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Erayman
authors.forename: Atila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erol
authors.forename: Ayse Oya
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Tulgar
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tulgar