Patent ID: 9561372
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: A61N

Claim:
1. A method for improved positioning of an implantable neurostimulation lead in a patient with clinician programmer coupled to the implantable lead for treatment of bladder and/or bowel dysfunction, wherein the implantable lead comprises at least four neurostimulation electrodes, and at least one EMG sensing electrode minimally invasively positioned on a skin surface or within the patient, the method comprising: delivering a first test stimulation at a stimulation amplitude level from the clinician programmer to a nerve tissue of the patient with a principal electrode of the implantable lead, wherein the principal electrode is selected from the at least four neurostimulation electrodes of the implantable lead; delivering another test stimulation at a same stimulation amplitude level for a same period of time sequentially to each remaining electrode for the at least four electrodes of the implantable lead from the clinician programmer; receiving, with the clinician programmer, EMG information based on recording a stimulation-induced EMG motor response for each test stimulation on each electrode of the implantable lead via the at least one EMG sensing electrode so as to provide improved lateral and/or axial resolution of the at least four electrodes relative to a target nerve for positioning of the implantable lead at a target stimulation region along the target nerve for treatment of bladder and/or bowel dysfunction; outputting feedback on a graphical user interface of the clinician programmer, the feedback based on the EMG information associated with the first test stimulation of the principal electrode and the other test stimulations of remaining electrodes, the feedback indicating proximity of the at least four electrodes relative the target nerve so as to facilitate improved placement of the at least four electrodes along the target nerve; and repeating steps of: delivering a test stimulation to the principle electrodes and each remaining electrode at a same stimulation and period of time, receiving EMG information based on recording a stimulation-induces EMG motor response for each test stimulation, and outputting feedback on the graphical user interface of the clinician programmer based on the EMG information until the EMG information is indicative of multiple electrodes of the at least four neurostimulation electrodes being within the target stimulation region along the target nerve.