The following captured my attention in the announcement of the 11th World Congress of the International Neuromodulation Society, “Technology Transforming Chronic Illness Management.” From June 8 – 13, 2013: “Micro-Magnetic Stimulation (Monday, June 10) – John T. Gale, Ph.D., has demonstrated for the first time that deep brain stimulation with micro-magnets can activate brain cells
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Boston Scientific Acquires and Launches Fixate Tissue Band for Spinal Cord Stimulator Leads and Pain Pump Catheters
Boston Scientific announced today that it has acquired the fiXate™ Tissue Band and is launching it in the United States. The fiXate Tissue Band is intended to be an accessory to the leads/catheter component of Spinal Cord Stimulator/Pain Pump systems functioning to secure the lead to the fascia or inter-spinous/supra-spinous ligament. According to the press release:
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Boston Scientific’s Precision Spectra™ 32-Contact SCS Launched in the US
Boston Scientific received FDA approval and is beginning a limited launch of the Precision Spectra Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) System. According to the press release: “The Precision Spectra System is the world’s first and only SCS system with Illumina 3D™ software and 32 contacts, and is designed to provide improved pain relief to a wide range
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Medtronic’s Fully Implantable Percutaneous Nerve Stimulation (PNS) System for Treatment of Lower Back Pain
In May 2011 Medtronic received the CE Mark for the first 16-electrode, fully implantable system for the percutaneous delivery of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) in the management of chronic back pain. PNS involves an implant of electrical leads just under the skin of the lower back. These leads are connected to a stimulator which delivers
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St. Jude’s DBS Systems First to Receive CE Mark for Both Primary and Secondary Dystonia
St. Jude Medical announced CE Mark approval of its Brio™, Libra™ and LibraXP™ deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems for managing the symptoms of intractable primary and secondary dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes a person’s muscles to contract and involuntarily spasm, reducing the ability to control movement. This approval represents the first by a
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Retina Implant AG Publishes Study Results on its Alpha IMS Implant
Retina Implant AG published study results on its Alpha IMS Implant for functional vision restoration. According to the press release, “Retina Implant AG, the leading developer of subretinal implants for patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa (RP), announced results from part of its multicentre study were published today in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the Royal
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Second Sight Receives FDA Clearance for Argus II Retinal Prosthesis
On February 4, 2013, after more than 20 years of research and development, Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., announced that its Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System (“Argus II”) has received U.S. market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat individuals with late stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP). This announcement follows receipt of the European
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Medtronic Introduces First Neuromodulation Systems Compatible with Full-Body MRI
Medtronic has introduced in Europe the first and only implantable neurostimulation systems indicated for use in the treatment of chronic back and/or leg pain that are designed for full-body Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans under specific conditions. Medtronic SureScan neurostimulation systems include enhancements to existing devices as well as specially designed leads to reduce or
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SetPoint Medical’s Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Systemic Inflammation
SetPoint Medical, headquartered in Valencia, California, is developing neuromodulation therapies for patients with inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriasis, diabetes, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis. SetPoint’s proprietary neuromodulation platform consists of an implantable “microregulator”, wireless charger and iPad prescription pad application.
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Functional Neuromodulation Ltd. Starts Study using DBS of the Fornix (DBS-f) for Mild Alzheimer’s
Toronto-based Functional Neuromodulation announced that it implanted the first U.S. Alzheimer’s patient in the “ADvance Study” with a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system meant to improve cognitive performance. ADvance will evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of DBS of the fornix (DBS-f), a major inflow and output pathway in the brain’s memory circuit, for
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Boston Scientific’s Precision Spectra™ SCS with 32 Contacts and 32 Dedicated Power Sources Receives CE Mark
Boston Scientific Received European Regulatory Approval For New Precision Spectra™ Spinal Cord Stimulator System. It is the first and so-far only SCS system with 32 contacts and 32 dedicated power sources designed to provide pain relief to a broad spectrum of chronic pain patients.
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Boston Scientific Receives CE Mark of Vercise™ Deep Brain Stimulation System
Boston Scientific Corporation received CE Mark approval for use of its Vercise™ Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) System for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The Vercise DBS System is the first and only commercially available DBS system to incorporate multiple independent current control, which is designed to selectively stimulate targeted areas in the brain. This system is
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First Human Use of 24-Electrode Retinal Implant by Bionic Vision Australia
Bionic Vision Australia researchers announced on August 30, 2012 that they successfully performed the first implantation of an early prototype bionic eye with 24 electrodes. According to the press release:
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St. Jude Medical Receives CE Mark Approval of Eon Mini to Treat Chronic Migraine
St. Jude Medical announced it has received European CE Mark approval of its Eon™ family of neurostimulators for treating patients with intractable chronic migraine. According to the press release: “Intractable chronic migraine is one of the most difficult-to-treat headache disorders,” said Professor Gennaro Bussone, M.D., head of the Neurological Department at Istituto Besta in Milan
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Nevro Receives FDA Approval to Initiate Trial of its High-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy
Nevro Corp announced that FDA has granted approval for initiation of its SENZA-RCT study, a U.S. prospective, randomized, controlled pivotal clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Nevro’s high-frequency spinal cord stimulation system for the treatment of chronic pain.
