Design and characterization of a self-sizing cuff electrode for neurostimulation applications

Details

Supervisors

Ronsse, Renaud ; Doguet, Pascal

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil biomédical, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

The arrival of new technologies and the desire to do better in certain neurological applications such as neurostimulation have led to the need to create more and more adapted, efficient and precise electrodes. These electrodes, which are, for example, spiral cuff electrodes, enable the nerve to be surrounded as precisely as possible. This need for this type of electrode has led to a danger to the nerve. Indeed, too much pressure of this type of electrode on the nerve can damage it. That is why it is important to be able to predict this pressure. This is the aim of this thesis, which consists in designing a device to measure the pressure that an electrode applies around a fictitious silicone tube that mimics the nerve. With this measuring device, tests could be carried out using some double spiral cuff electrodes. These showed that the application of this type of electrodes to a nerve is safe as long as the nerve retains its original diameter. This result is based on the fact that the pressure that an electrode applies to a nerve cannot exceed 20mmHg. However, according to the results, when there is a possible swelling of the nerve (maximum 33% of its initial diameter), the pressures can exceed this threshold. Further study under in vitro conditions would validate this result. A validation of a theoretical model was also studied.