KR20190043943A - An implant package for prosthetic cochlea and method for implanting the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an artificial cochlear implant inner implanting body capable of improving electric signal communication efficiency by separating a coil of a head inside from a body, and arranging the coil between skin and muscle of a user. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the artificial cochlear implant device comprises an extracorporeal device and the cochlear implant inner implanting body. The extracorporeal device includes a sound processing unit which converts a sound into an electric signal, and an external coil unit which transmits the electric signal into the head. The artificial cochlear implant inner implanting body includes: an inner coil unit which receives the electric signal transmitted from the external coil unit; a body unit which is connected to the inner coil unit and converts the electric signal into an electric stimulating signal; and a stimulating unit which is connected to the body unit and inserted into the cochlear implantation (a cochlear) to stimulate auditory nerves of cochlear implantation through the electric stimulating signal. The inner coil unit is separated from the body unit to be arranged between the skin and the muscle of a user′s head.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a cochlear implant and a method of implanting the cochlear implant,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cochlear implant, and more particularly, to a coiled cochlear implant and a method of implanting the cochlear implant.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the description set forth in this identification section is not prior art to the claims of this application and is not to be construed as prior art as described in this identification section.

The cochlear implant is implanted into the cochlea when the hearing loss is not improved through the hearing aid, and the external sound is converted into the stimulation signal and stimulates the cochlea through the stimulation signal.

However, in the case of the conventional cochlear implant, the distance between the coil outside the temporal region and the coil inside the muscle tissue is too long to transmit the electric signal, and there is a disadvantage in that a large area of bone tissue must be removed in order to mount the internal body , The position of the coil was fixed by the position of the mounted body and the position of the outer coil aligned with the inner coil was also limited.

Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-2010-0006338 discloses a sound processor for a cochlear implant and a cochlear implant including the same, and Korean Utility Model No. 20-0449559 discloses a sound processor for a cochlear implant, Including cochlear implants.

 However, the prior arts do not disclose techniques for improving the electric signal communication efficiency between the outer coil and the inner coil or the ease of implantation of the outer coil.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a cochlear implant that improves electrical signal communication efficiency by disposing a coil inside the head from the body and placing it between the skin and the muscle.

Another object of the present invention relates to a method of implanting a cochlear implant.

Further, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the above-described technical problems, and another technical problem may be derived from the following description.

According to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, the cochlear implant device includes an extracorporeal device and a cochlear implant, the extracorporeal device including an acoustic processor for converting sound into an electrical signal, an outer coil for transmitting the electrical signal to the inside of the head, An inner coil part for receiving the electric signal transmitted from the outer coil part, a main body part for connecting the inner coil part to convert the electric signal into an electric stimulation signal, And a stimulating portion inserted into the cochlea to stimulate the auditory nerve through the electric stimulation signal, and the inner coil portion is disposed between the skin and the muscle of the head separated from the body portion.

Further, the inner coil portion is connected to the inner coil portion through a conductive wire, and can be separated from the inner coil portion and implanted into the bone tissue between the muscle of the head and the bone tissue.

Further, the inner coil portion may be disposed at a position where the surface of the bone tissue is flat at a position adjacent to the wow.

The inner coil portion may be disposed at a position adjacent to or spaced apart from the main body portion.

Further, the inner coil portion may be disposed on the side of the ear canal, the position adjacent to the ear canal, or the side of the mastoid projection without skin incision or tissue detachment.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cochlear implantation method comprising: sequentially cutting a part of the skin, muscles and bone tissue of a temporal region, incising a posterior joint or a canthus after a mastoidectomy, Fixing the body part to the bone tissue after rubbing the bone tissue of the part where the body part is to be positioned, the body part being connected to the reference electrode and converting a sound-converted electric signal into an electric stimulation signal according to the shape of the body part; A step of disposing a connection portion formed in a wire form and an inner coil of the inner coil portion through the muscle and between the skin and the muscle, and a step of inserting a stimulation electrode for generating a stimulation signal, connecting the reference electrode, With soft tissue containing muscle, and suturing the incised portion of the temporal region.

The method may further include the step of attaching an outer coil portion disposed outside the head and connected to an acoustic processing portion for converting sound into an electric signal and transmitting the electric signal toward the inside of the head so as to be adjacent to the inner coil portion .

In addition, in the step of implanting the inner coil part, the inner coil part may be disposed between the skin and the muscle, but may be disposed on the side of the ear canal, the position adjacent to the ear canal, or the mastoid projection side without skin incision or tissue detachment.

Further, in the step of implanting the main body, the main body may be disposed at a position where the thickness of the muscle is relatively thin and the bone tissue is flat at the temporal region.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cochlear implant has an advantage that a distance between an inner coil and an outer coil is formed to be adjacent to each other, and an efficiency of transmitting an electric signal is improved.

In addition, the inner coil of the cochlear implant has an inner coil and a main body part for converting an electric signal into an electric stimulation signal and transmitting the electric stimulation signal to the electrode part so as to be separated from each other, thereby changing the position of the coil according to the physical characteristics of the user.

In addition, the transplantation method of the cochlear implant can minimize transplantation of the skin and bone tissue, and shorten the time required for transplanting the body part into the bone tissue.

In addition, since the effect of the present invention described above is obviously exerted by the constitution of contents described irrespective of whether or not the inventor perceives it, the effect described above is only some effects according to the contents described, Should not be recognized.

Further, the effect of the present invention should be grasped further by the entire description of the specification, and even if it is not stated in an explicit sentence, a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the written description belongs, It should be seen as an effect described in this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a block diagram of an artificial cochlear implant in accordance with an embodiment of the teachings herein;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inner core of the cochlear implant of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a state in which the cochlear implant of FIG. 2 is implanted in the body. FIG.
FIGS. 4 to 6 are perspective views illustrating a procedure of implanting the cochlear implant of FIG. 2 into the body. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the implantation method of the cochlear implant of FIG. 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, configurations, operations, and effects of the cochlear implant according to a preferred embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, in the following drawings, each component is omitted or schematically shown for convenience and clarity, and the size of each component does not reflect the actual size, and the same reference numerals denote the same components throughout the specification. And reference numerals for the same components in individual drawings are omitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an artificial cochlear implant in accordance with an embodiment of the teachings herein.

1, the cochlear implant 100 includes a body portion 200, an electrode portion 400, a connection portion 500, and an internal coil portion 600, and the extracorporeal device 650 includes an external A coil portion 700, and a sound processing portion 800.

The cochlear implant 100 is an apparatus connected wirelessly to an extracorporeal device 650 attached to the outside of the head of the cochlear implant device 100. The cochlear implantation device 100 is an apparatus that wirelessly connects the extracorporeal device 650 to the cochlear implant 100, The transmission / reception function of the speaker is improved, and clear sound transmission is possible.

The body part 200 and the inner coil part 600 are separated from each other, and the body part and the inner coil part are separated from each other. The body part 200 and the inner coil part 600 are separated from each other, The inner coil portion 600 and the inner coil portion 600. The inner coil portion 600 is formed in a space between the muscle 20 and the skin 25 so that an electric signal transmitted from the outer coil portion 700 is effectively transmitted.

The main body unit 200 is inserted into a portion of the bone tissue 10 which is formed to be recessed and formed, and converts an electric signal transmitted from the internal coil unit 600 into a stimulation signal and transmits the stimulation signal to the electrode unit 400.

The electrode unit 400 includes a reference electrode 420 and a magnetic pole electrode 440.

The electrode unit 400 is connected to the main body 200 to transmit a stimulation signal generated in the main body 200 to the cochlea, a stimulation signal stimulates the auditory nerve of the cochlea, ≪ / RTI >

The reference electrode 420 has one end connected to the main body 200 and the other end extended to a position adjacent to the main body 200 or the inner coil part 600 to be implanted into the muscle 20 or the skin 25, And is separated from the stimulation electrode 440 implanted in the cochlea.

One end of the stimulating electrode 440 is connected to the main body 200 and the other end of the stimulating electrode 440 is inserted into the cochlea in a state of being separated from the reference electrode 420. A plurality of electrodes are formed on the surface along the longitudinal direction of the stimulating electrode 440 So that the electrodes are in contact with the inner auditory canal when inserted into the cochlea.

The inner coil part 600 is disposed between the muscle 20 of the head and the skin 25 and receives an electric signal transmitted from the outer coil part 700 to be transmitted to the main body part 200 through the connection part 500 do.

The extracorporeal device 650 is disposed outside the skin 25, and upon receiving the sound generated in the surrounding environment, converts the sound into an electric signal and transmits it to the inner woof inner body 100.

The position where the extracorporeal device 650 is attached can be changed according to the position where the cochlear implanting body 100 is implanted and the position where the cochlear implanting body 100 is implanted .

The external coil part 700 is arranged outside the skin 25 so as to be adjacent to the internal coil part 600 and transmits an electric signal generated by sound conversion in the sound processing part 800 to the internal coil part 600 send.

The sound processing unit 800 is attached to the outside of the ear or head at a position adjacent to the external coil unit 700, receives external sound and converts it into an electric signal, forms a microphone to receive external sound, A volume adjuster for adjusting the volume may be formed.

Therefore, the communication efficiency can be improved through effective and accurate wireless electrical signal transmission between the inner coil part 600 and the outer coil part 700 arranged so as to be adjacent to each other with the skin 25 therebetween, There is an advantage that the implantation is convenient because the area for cutting the bone tissue 10 necessary for mounting the implant 600 is reduced.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the cochlear implant of Figure 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a state in which the cochlear implant of FIG. 2 is implanted in the body.

2 and 3, the body portion 200 is formed in the shape of a circular plate, and a portion of the bone tissue 10 is inserted into the incision portion in a space between the muscle 20 and the bone tissue 10 Respectively.

The main body 200 receives the electric signal through the connection unit 500 and converts the electric signal into an electric stimulation signal for stimulating the wah 30 (cochlea) Lt; / RTI >

Since the body portion 200 occupies a relatively low area unlike the conventional structure in which the inner coil and the body portion are connected to each other, the operation time for cutting the bone tissue 10 can be shortened, so that the cochlear implant operation can be performed stably and effectively have.

Meanwhile, the main body 200 may be disposed at various positions including the temporal bone, the parietal bone, the occipital bone, and the like located at the temporal region, but it is preferably disposed at a position adjacent to and flattened with the external auditory canal.

The reference electrode 420 is formed of a material for transmitting an electric signal in the form of a wire and is arranged to be grounded to the skin 25 or the muscle 20 adjacent to the body 200. The stimulation electrode 440 is connected to the wow A plurality of electrodes exposed to the outside are formed on the surface in order to stimulate the audiences formed in the electrodes 30.

The stimulating electrode 440 is inserted into the worm 30 while being bent while spirally winding the stimulation electrode 440. The stimulation electrode 440 is inserted into the worm 30, To the audiences.

The stimulating electrode 440 is inserted into the wah 30 through the osteoarthritis or external ear canal 34 and the path through which the stimulating electrode 440 is inserted may be changed depending on the physical characteristics of the user or the surgical environment.

The connecting portion 500 is formed to be connected to the inner coil portion 600 through the muscle 20 in the form of a wire electrically connecting the body portion 200 and the inner coil portion 600 and is flexible, .

The inner coil part 600 can be arranged at various positions between the skin 25 and the muscle 20 of the temporal part depending on the length of the connection part 500 irrespective of the position of the body part 200, 600 may also be located at various locations outside the temporal region.

Thus, the reduced transplantation time is reduced due to the reduced volume of the body portion 200 separated from the inner coil portion 600, and the inner coil portion 600 is separated from the body portion 200 to be implanted at various positions of the temporal portion And the outer coil part 700 can be mounted at various positions corresponding to the physical condition of the user.

Since the inner coil part 600 is disposed between the skin 25 and the muscle 20 so that the distance between the outer coil part 700 and the inner coil part 600 is relatively adjacent to that of the prior art, There is an advantage that the transmission effect of the present invention is improved.

The outer coil part 600 is preferably disposed at a position adjacent to the inner coil part 600 and the acoustic processing part 800 may be connected to the outer coil part 700 through electric wires and mounted at various positions .

The inner coil part 600 can also be placed on the side of the ear canal 34, the ear canal 34, or on the side of the mastoid projection without the skin incision or tissue detachment, instead of being placed between the skin 25 and the muscle 20 In this case, the electric signal generated in the outer coil part 600 is transmitted to the main body part 200 through the connection part 500, so that the communication efficiency is improved. As the communication efficiency is increased, the communication error is reduced, There is an advantage of increased time.

Figures 4 to 6 show perspective views illustrating the process of implanting the cochlear implant of Figure 2 into the body.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart showing the implantation method of the cochlear implant of FIG. 1;

4 to 7, the transplantation method of the cochlear implant 100 is performed by sequentially cutting the skin 25 of the temporal portion, the muscle 20 and a part of the bone tissue 10, The incision is made in the arch or in the window (step S100).

The bone tissue 10 connected to the reference electrode 420 and the stimulation electrode 440 and to which the main body 200 for converting the sound-converted electrical signal into the electric stimulation signal is to be positioned is formed in the shape of the main body 200 After the erection, the main body 200 is fixed to the bone tissue 10 (step S110).

Since the body portion 200 is separated from the inner coil portion 600, the body portion 200 is relatively small in volume and thus has a short time to cut the bone tissue 10 to insert the body portion 200 have.

A connection part 500 connected to the body part 200 and formed in a wire form and an inner coil of the inner coil part 600 are disposed between the skin 25 and the muscle 20 through the muscle 20 (step S120) .

A stimulating electrode 440 for generating a stimulation signal is inserted into the wah 30 and the reference electrode 420 is connected to a position adjacent to the main body 200. The portion where the stimulating electrode 440 is inserted is inserted into the muscle 20, And the incised portion of the temporal portion is sealed (Step S130).

In this case, the internal coil part 600 can be implanted in a relatively thin thickness of the skin 25, thereby improving the transmission of electric signals, thereby improving communication efficiency and reducing communication errors .

The inner coil part 600 is spaced apart from the main body part 200 in accordance with the length of the connecting part 500. In this case, the inner coil part 600 is inserted between the skin 25 and the muscle 20, And between the skin 25 and the muscle 20 corresponding to various positions of the skin 25 and the muscle 20, respectively.

The inner coil part 600 can also be placed on the side of the ear canal 34, the ear canal 34, or on the side of the mastoid projection without the skin incision or tissue detachment, instead of being placed between the skin 25 and the muscle 20 have.

The external coil part 700 disposed outside the head and connected to the sound processing part 800 for converting the sound into an electric signal and transmitting the electric signal toward the inside of the head is adjacent to the internal coil part 600 Respectively.

In addition, in step S130 of implanting the inner coil part 600, the inner coil part 600 may be disposed at a position where the skin thickness is relatively thin and the bone tissue is flat at the temporal part, In step S120, the body part 200 may be disposed at a position where the thickness of the muscle is relatively thin and the bone tissue is flat at the temporal part.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken in conjunction with the present invention. It is to be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be substituted for those at the time of the present application. It is to be understood, therefore, that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, and that the scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, All changes or modifications that come within the scope of the equivalent concept are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

100: cochlear implant 200: body part
400: electrode part 500: connection part
600: inner coil part 650: extracorporeal device
700: external coil part 800: sound processing part

Claims (9)

1. A cochlear implant which is implanted in the head so as to be adjacent to an extracorporeal device including an acoustic processor for converting sound into an electric signal and an outer coil for transmitting the electric signal toward the inside of the head,
An inner coil section for receiving the electrical signal transmitted from the outer coil section;
A main body coupled to the inner coil to convert the electrical signal into an electrical stimulation signal; And
And an electrode unit connected to the body unit and inserted into the cochlea to stimulate the auditory neuron through the electric stimulation signal,
Wherein the inner coil part is disposed between the skin of the head and the muscle separated from the body part.
The apparatus according to claim 1,
Wherein the inner coil part is connected to the inner coil part through a conductive wire and is separated from the inner coil part to be implanted into the bone tissue between the muscle of the head and the bone tissue.
[2] The apparatus of claim 1,
Wherein the surface of the bone tissue is disposed at a position where the surface of the bone tissue is flat at a position adjacent to the wow.
[5] The apparatus of claim 3,
And wherein the at least one cochlear implant is disposed adjacent to or spaced apart from the main body.
[2] The apparatus of claim 1,
And is placed on the side of the ear canal, the position adjacent to the ear canal, or the side of the mastoid projection without skin incision or tissue detachment.
Dissecting the skin, muscles, and part of the bone tissue of the temporal bone in order and incising the posterior labrum or the canopy window after mastoidectomy;
A step of fixing the body part to the bone tissue after the bone tissue of the part to be positioned at the main body part, which is connected to the stimulation and reference electrode and converts the sound-converted electric signal into the electric stimulation signal, is cut according to the shape of the body part;
Disposing a connection portion formed in a wire form connected to the body portion and an inner coil of the inner coil portion through the muscle and between the skin and the muscle; And
A step of inserting a stimulating electrode for generating a stimulating signal into a wau and connecting a reference electrode, covering a portion where the stimulating electrode is inserted with a soft tissue including muscle, and sealing the incised portion of the temporal portion A method of transplanting an internal cavity of a cochlear implant.
The method according to claim 6,
Further comprising the step of attaching an outer coil portion disposed outside the head and connected to an acoustic processing portion for converting sound into an electric signal so that the outer coil portion for transmitting the electric signal toward the inside of the head is adjacent to the inner coil portion A method of transplantation of an internal cavity of a cochlear implant.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein in implanting the inner coil section,
Wherein the inner coil portion is disposed between the skin and the muscle, and is disposed on the side of the ear canal, the position adjacent to the ear canal, or the side of the mastopexy without skin incision or tissue detachment.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein, in transplanting the body portion,
Wherein the main body is relatively thin at the head and the bone tissue is disposed at a flat position.

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