Patent ID: 8543213

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling stimulation of a spinal cord of a patient comprising: a first set of electrodes; a second set of electrodes; a set of photoemitters for emitting a set of light beams; a first set of photodetectors; a second set of photodetectors; the first set of electrodes, the second set of electrodes, the set of photoemitters, the first set of photodetectors and the second set of photodetectors arranged such that when implanted adjacent the spinal cord, the set of light beams is reflected from the spinal cord of the patient into the first and second set of photodetectors; and a signal processing unit, operatively connected to the first set of electrodes, the second set of electrodes, the set of photoemitters, the first set of photodetectors, and the second set of photodetectors, programmed to carry out the steps of: receiving a first signal from the first set of photodetectors; receiving a second signal from the second set of photodetectors; deriving an estimate of the position of the spinal cord from the first signal and the second signal; deriving a first electric pulse and a second electric pulse based on the estimate; directing the first electric pulse to the first set of electrodes; directing the second electric pulse to the second set of electrodes; and, whereby spinal cord stimulation is provided.