Anchoring device for securing intracranial catheter or lead wire to a patient's skull

An anchor system for securing a lead to a patient's skull, said lead being of the type that passes through a burr hole of said skull and that includes a distal end which is implanted within the patient's brain at a target site, the anchor system comprising:

• a stem that is sized to fit snugly into said burr hole, said stem defining a lower end and an upper end and including a passage that communicates said lower end with said upper end;
• a flange located about said stem at said upper end, said flange having an outer diameter that is larger than the inside diameter of said burr hole and defining a periphery;
• at least one anchoring loop located along said periphery of said flange, said anchoring loop being sized and shaped to receive said lead;
• and
• wherein said passage is flared from a first diameter at said lower end of said stem to a second diameter at said upper end, said flared passage being adapted to receive said lead from said brain and further configured to allow said lead to atruamatically transition from a perpendicular path from said burr hole to a path that is generally tangential with respect to said flange, said anchoring loop configured to receive said lead so that said lead is effectively anchored with respect to said patient's skull.

A method of implanting the distal end of a lead to a target site within a patient's brain, the method comprising:

• forming a burr bole through the skull of the patient;
• inserting the lead through the burr hole to the target site within the patient's brain;
• mounting a generally soft and pliable anchor on the burr hole and moving the anchor into engagement with the skull of the patient, said anchor including a stem having a lower end and an upper end, a rim plate located at said upper end and defining a peripheral edge, and a flared passage extending between said lower end of said stem and said upper end, said flared passage configured to receive said lead, said anchor further comprising a transition loop located at said rim plate and lead-holding structure located along said peripheral edge of said rim plate;
• positioning said stem of said anchor into said burr hole so that said rim plate lies generally flush against the outer surface of said skull;
• and
• inserting the proximal end of said lead through said transition loop and within said lead-holding structure around said periphery of said rim plate so that said lead becomes essentially immobile with respect to said anchor.

A method of implanting the distal end of a lead to a target site within a patient's brain, the method comprising:

• forming a burr bole through the skull of the patient;
• inserting the lead through the burr hole to the target site within the patient's brain;
• mounting a generally soft and pliable anchor on the lead and moving the anchor along the lead into engagement with the skull of the patient, said anchor including a stem having a lower end and an upper end, a rim plate located at said upper end and defining a peripheral edge, and a passage extending between said lower end of said stem and said upper end, said passage adapted to receive said lead, said anchor further comprising at least three loops located along said peripheral edge of said rim plate;
• positioning said stem of said anchor into said burr hole so that said rim plate lies generally flush against the outer surface of said skull;
• weaving the proximal end of said lead through said at least three loops around said periphery of said rim plate so that said lead becomes essentially immobile with respect to said anchor;
• and
• securing said rim plate to said skull so that said anchor becomes essentially immobile with respect to said skull.

An anchor system for securing a lead to a patient's skull, said lead being of the type that passes through a burr hole of said skull and that includes a distal end which is implanted within the patient's brain at a target site, the anchor system comprising:

• a stem that is sized to fit snugly into said burr hole, said stem defining a lower end and an upper end and including a passage that communicates said lower end with said upper end;
• a flange located about said stem at said upper end, said flange having an outer diameter that is larger than the inside diameter of said burr hole and defining a periphery;
• and
• at least three anchoring loops located along said periphery of said flange, said anchoring loops being sized and shaped to receive said lead so that when said lead is inserted within said loops, said lead becomes essentially immobile with respect to said anchor.

A method of implanting the distal end of a lead to a target site within a patient's brain, the method comprising:

• forming a burr bole through the skull of the patient;
• mounting a generally soft and pliable anchor to within and around said burr hole, said anchor including a stem having a lower end positioned within said burr hole and an upper end, a rim plate located at said upper end and defining a peripheral edge, and a flared passage extending between said lower end of said stem and said upper end, said flared passage configured to receive said lead, said anchor further comprising a transition loop located at said rim plate and lead-holding structure located along said peripheral edge of said rim plate;
• inserting the lead through said flared passage of said anchor and through said burr hole to the target site within the patient's brain;
• and
• inserting the proximal end of said lead through said transition loop of said anchor and within said lead-holding structure around said periphery of said rim plate so that said lead becomes essentially immobile with respect to said anchor and with respect to said patient's skull.