# US 2015/0148864 A1 · Implantable Electroacupuncture System and Method for Treating Parkinson's Disease and Essential Tremor Through Application of Stimului At or Near An Acupoint on the Chorea Line

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- Number: US 2015/0148864 A1
- Document ID: US20150148864A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/609,108
- Filed: 2015-01-29
- Published: 2015-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2012-09-28
- Assignees: Valencia Technologies Corporation
- Applicants: Valencia Technologies Corporation
- Inventors: David K. L. Peterson; Stacy Greiner Chambliss
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20150148864A1

## CPC

- A61N 1/36067: {Movement disorders, e.g. tremor or Parkinson disease (stimulating motor muscle A61N1/36003)}
- A61N 1/0504: {Subcutaneous electrodes}
- A61N 1/0529: {Electrodes for brain stimulation}
- A61N 1/37205: {Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula}
- A61N 1/36125: {Details of circuitry or electric components}
- A61N 1/3616: {Voltage density or current density}
- A61N 1/36175: {Pulse width or duty cycle}
- A61N 1/3756: {Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators}
- A61N 1/3758: {Packaging of the components within the casing}
- A61N 1/3782: {producing a voltage above the power source level}
- A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B)

## Abstract

An implantable electroacupuncture device (IEAD) treats Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor through application of stimulation pulses applied to at least one of the acupoints on the chorea line. The IEAD includes an hermetically-sealed implantable electroacupuncture (EA) device and a conduit extending therefrom. At least one electrode is located on the outside of the housing. At least one electrode is located at an opening formed through the conduit. The housing contains a primary power source and pulse generation circuitry. A sensor wirelessly senses externally-generated operating commands, such as ON, OFF and AMPLITUDE. The pulse generation circuitry generates stimulation pulses. The stimulation pulses are applied to the specified acupoint or nerve through the electrodes in accordance with a specified stimulation regimen.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An Implantable ElectroAcupuncture System (IEAS) for treating Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor through application of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation pulses applied at a specified tissue location of a patient, comprising:
an implantable electroacupuncture (EA) device comprising a small, hermetically-sealed housing containing a primary power source, pulse generation circuitry powered by the primary power source, wherein the pulse generation circuitry generates stimulation pulses in accordance with a specified stimulation regimen;
a portion of the outside of the housing electrically coupled with the pulse generation circuitry and defining a first electrode;
a conduit extending from the housing and carrying a lead;
an opening formed through the conduit, the lead in electrical communication with the pulse generation circuitry and defining a second electrode; one of the first electrode or the second electrode functions as a cathodic electrode and the other of the first electrode or the second electrode functions as an anodic electrode; whereby the stimulation pulses generated by the pulse generation circuitry are directed to flow through the patient's tissue at the specified tissue location;
wherein the specified tissue location whereat EA stimulation pulses are applied comprises a target tissue location defined by the chorea line.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The IEAS of claim 1, and the conduit houses a single lead.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The IEAS of claim 2, and the conduit includes a plurality of openings longitudinally spaced along the length of the conduit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The IEAS of claim 3, and a first opening pair is defined by a first opening and a second opening which are adjacent on the conduit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The IEAS of claim 4, wherein the first opening and the second opening each have a longitudinal length as defined by the dimension of the opening measured along the longitudinal length of the conduit, the longitudinal length of the first opening is 20-80% of the distance between the first opening pair, the distance between the first opening pair is defined by the distance from the center of the first opening to center of the second opening.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The IEAS of claim 5, and the longitudinal length of the second opening is 20-80% of the distance between first opening pair.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The IEAS of claim 6, and the longitudinal length of the first opening is the same as the longitudinal length of the second opening.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The IEAS of claim 7, and a second opening pair is defined by a third opening and a fourth opening which are adjacent on the conduit, in one instance the second opening is the same opening as the third opening.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The IEAS of claim 8, and the distance between the first opening pair is the same as the distance between the second opening pair, the distance between the second opening pair is defined by the distance from the center of the third opening to the center of the fourth opening.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The IEAS of claim 8, and the distance between the first opening pair is different than the distance between the second opening pair.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The IEAS of claim 5, and the longitudinal length of the first opening is different than the longitudinal length of the second opening.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The IEAS of claim 11, and a second opening pair is defined by a third opening and a fourth opening which are adjacent on the conduit, wherein in one instance the second opening is the same opening as the third opening.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The IEAS of claim 12, and the distance between the first opening pair is the same as the distance between the second opening pair, the distance between the second opening pair is defined by the distance from the center of the third opening to center of the fourth opening.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The IEAS of claim 12, and the distance between the first opening pair is different than the distance between the second opening pair.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The IEAS of claim 1, and a plurality of leads are carried in the conduit.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The IEAS of claim 15, and the conduit includes a plurality of openings longitudinally spaced along the length of the conduit.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The IEAS of claim 16, and a first opening pair is defined by a first opening and a second opening which are adjacent on the conduit.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The IEAS of claim 17, wherein the first opening and the second opening each have a longitudinal length as defined by the dimension of the opening as measured along the longitudinal length of the conduit, the longitudinal length of the first opening is 20-80% of the distance between the first opening pair, the distance between the first opening pair is defined by the distance from the center of the first opening to center of the second opening.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The IEAS of claim 18, and the longitudinal length of the second opening is 20-80% of the distance between the first opening pair.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The IEAS of claim 19, and a second opening pair is defined by a third opening and a fourth opening which are adjacent on the conduit, in one instance the second opening is the same opening as the third opening.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The IEAS of claim 20, and the distance between the first opening pair is the same as the distance between the second opening pair, the distance between the first opening pair is defined by the distance from the center of the third opening to the center of the fourth opening.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The IEAS of claim 20, and the distance between the first opening pair is different than the distance between the second opening pair, the distance between the first opening pair is defined by the distance from the center of the third opening to center of the fourth opening.

### Claim 23 (depends on 4)

The IEAS of claim 4, wherein the openings each vary in size according to the intensity of the stimulation pulses necessary to treat a given location on the chorea line.

### Claim 24

A method for treating Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor of a patient, comprising the steps of:
(a) identifying acupoints suitable for treating Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor along the chorea line of the patient;
(b) implanting an electroacupuncture (EA) device having a housing and a conduit in the patient below the patient's skin with the conduit extending along the chorea line;
(c) providing one or more openings in the conduit; and
(d) providing electrical stimulation to the patient in tissue proximate the openings.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 24 and a single lead housed in the conduit.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 25 wherein the openings are evenly spaced along the conduit.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 26 and the size of each opening is chosen to dictate the intensity of the electrical stimulation proximate the given opening.

### Claim 28 (depends on 26)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 26 and the size of each opening is uniform.

### Claim 29 (depends on 25)

The method of treating Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor of claim 25 wherein the openings are formed in the conduit at locations proximate the acupoints.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 29 and the size of each opening is chosen to dictate the intensity of the electrical stimulation proximate the given opening.

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 29 and the size of each opening is uniform.

### Claim 32 (depends on 24)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 24 and a plurality of leads are housed in the conduit.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of treating Parkinson's Disease or Essential Tremor of claim 32 wherein the openings are evenly spaced along the conduit.

### Claim 34 (depends on 32)

The method of treating Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor of claim 32 wherein the openings are formed in the conduit at locations proximate the acupoints.