title: Applier tool for intradural spinal cord implants.
abstract: We have designed, built and tested a novel device for placing intradural neurmodulator implants directly on the pial surface of the spinal cord. This applier tool is designed for ergonomic handling of delicate electro-mechanical devices such as the Iowa-Patch™ spinal cord stimulator implant, which is aimed at overcoming certain shortcomings in the performance of standard epidural stimulator devices. The applier is approximately 14 cm long, 6 mm in diameter, made of stainless steel components, and has simple and reliable mechanisms for the attachment and release of the implant from it. We describe the design of the device, details of its construction, and its performance during in vivo testing of somatosensory evoked potentials in an ovine model of intradural spinal cord stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oya
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Dahdaleh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Utz
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Gillies
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D058117:Neural Prostheses; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012756:Sheep; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000601:surgery*