NCT00781833

Use of Implanted Microstimulators for Decreasing Spasticity and Improving Motion Following Spinal Cord Injury

Case Study Testing the Use of Implanted Microstimulators for Decreasing Spasticity and Improving Motion Following Spinal Cord Injury

• Status: Terminated
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1 (actual)
• Sponsor: The Alfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 55 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The primary aims of this study are to determine the safety of the RFM System (Alfred Mann Foundation, Santa Clarita, CA) in a patient with incomplete SCI and the effect of the RFM system on lower limb strength and spasticity. The secondary aim is to analyze any improvement in the participant's mobility.

Detailed description

Restoring mobility after spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most important goals of rehabilitation. Even for patients with partial lower limb motor function after SCI, many have limited mobility because of significant spasticity. Therapeutic electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TNS) has been used to improve muscle tone and strength and to enable walking and standing in patients with SCI. We propose to use the Radio Frequency Microstimulator (RFM) System, a new and novel implantable TNS system developed by the Alfred E. Mann Foundation, to improve muscle strength and reduce spasticity in a patient with incomplete SCI. The RFM System has several advantages over current TNS systems. The RFM implant devices are small enough (diameter 2.4 mm, length 16.7 mm) to be inserted using an incision approximately 5 mm long and have no lead wires passing through the skin since the microstimulator contains both the anode and cathode. Implanted RFM devices can be placed near multiple motor points and/or nerves and are controlled individually using radio frequency technology. Up to six (6) RFM devices will be inserted, two to three in each lower limb to provide stimulation to a patient's bilateral knee extensors (femoral nerve stimulation) and ankle dorsiflexors (peroneal nerve stimulation) to assess the effects on muscle strength, limb spasticity and patient mobility.

Conditions

• Spinal Cord Injury at C5-C7 Level With Incomplete Lesion

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Radio Frequency Microstimulator	Implantable peripheral muscle microstimulator, delivering controlled pulsatile stimulation to femoral nerves for knee extension and peroneal nerves for dorsiflexion.

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-10-01
• Primary completion: 2010-06-01
• Completion: 2010-06-01
• First posted: 2008-10-29
• Last updated: 2012-01-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States