Surgery – Magnetic field applied to body for therapy
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-18
2001-09-18
Lacyk, John P. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Magnetic field applied to body for therapy
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290638
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for treatment of brain disorders which affect a body organ or function, such as epileptic disorders, and is particularly related to a method and apparatus for treatment of epilepsy. More specifically, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for treatment of patients suffering from epileptic seizures, by the use of electromagnetic field and subjecting the patients to external and simultaneous variable and static electromagnetic fields.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The application of magnetic fields for therapeutic purposes has received considerable attention over the years. Indeed, there are numerous scientific and medical publications as well as several patents which reflect the efforts of the prior art workers in developing various methods and apparatus which are used for the application of magnetic fields for therapeutic purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,873 issued on Aug. 4, 1987 to Ruggero Cadossi et al. describes a method and a device for treating the living tissues and/or cells of a fractured limb by the application of pulsating electromagnetic fields to the fractured limb. The applied electromagnetic signals have special wave form as shown in
FIG. 3
of that patent and such treatment favors the formation of periosteal cells for joining opposing ends of the fracture in the limb.
An earlier patent, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,953 issued Jun. 24, 1975 to Werner Kraus et al. disclosed a method and a device (a magnetic coil) for repairing fractured bones or the growth of other body tissue. A low frequency alternating magnetic field (below 50 Hz) was supplied by the device which is either applied to or is implanted in the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,591 issued on Nov. 3, 1992 to Abraham R. Liboff et al. discloses the application of magnetic fields for regulating the movement of preselected ions across biological cell membranes. The method involves the application of variable and static magnetic fields in a perpendicular arrangement in order to achieve a cyclotron resonance condition for specific ions in the exposed cells and tissues. Other patents issued to the same inventors disclose the application of magnetic field generation and magnetic field detection and a directionally oriented sinusoidal magnetic field parallel to a predetermined axis which projects through the target tissue used for controlling the growth of non-osseous, non-cartilaginous solid connective tissue (U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,361), controlling tissue growth (U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,898 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,561), osteoporosis (U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,939) and cancer (U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,456).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,904 issued Jul. 21, 1992 to Richard Markoll describes a method and apparatus for treatment of several types of diseased organs by applying a magnetic field by means of an annular coil surrounding the organ. The coil is energized by a pure DC voltage having an abruptly rising and abruptly deteriorating wave form at the rate of 1-30 cycles per second. The magnetic field at the target organ is of low density, preferably under 20 gauss. This patent discloses that the method described therein is effective for treatment of all and any disease including painful, degenerative, injurious, or inflammatory conditions of the human musculoskeletal system.
European Patent Application 81301291.1, published Nov. 18, 1981 discloses a method and apparatus for enhancement of in-vivo anti-cancer drug therapy by non-invasively and electromagnetically inducing voltage and concomitant current pulses in the body cells.
Magnetic stimulation of the nervous systems has been described in the treatment of partial (Anninos P. A., Tsagas H., Sandyk R., Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Partial Seizures. International Journal Neuroscience 1991; 60: 141-171) and tonic clonic seizures (Sandyk R. and Anninos P. A., Attenuation of Epilepsy with Application of External Magnetic Fields: a Case Report. Intern. J. Neuroscience 66: 75-85, 1992). The procedure includes measurements of the brain magnetic activity by means of a super conducting detection coil coupled to a super conducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The surface distribution of frequency domains detected in the magnetoencephalogram were characterized, and the intensity and frequency of the magnetic field recorded and emitted back to the presumed epileptic foci by means of an electronic device. This procedure is reported to attenuate seizure activity. However, it requires a room isolated from the earth geomagnetic field, and it is extremely costly. Additionally, a specific magnetoencephalographic map must be prepared for each patient, and the map signals are fed to an electronic machine. Thus, one machine is used for only one patient.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for treatment of brain disorders which affect body organs or functions.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for management and treatment of patients inflicted with epilepsy.
It is still another and more specific object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus by which electromagnetic fields are applied externally and non-invasively to epileptic patients, in conjunction with small doses of conventional anticonvulsant drugs, in order to substantially reduce the frequency and/or duration of their epileptic seizures, or even completely cure some patients.
The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, a patient with a history of epileptic seizures who is resistant or non-responsive to treatment with conventional epileptic-controlling drugs is subjected to magnetic fields applied externally to a limb of a patient such as his arm. The applied magnetic fields have time-varying magnetic field components generated at low frequencies of less than about 300 Hz as well as static magnetic field components with an intensity of from about 40 to about 80 mT. Periodic exposures of the patient to such magnetic field over a period of at least one month results in reducing the intensity and/or frequency of the seizures.
The present invention is carried out in an apparatus especially designed for applying the magnetic fields externally to the arm or other part of the body in order to treat the patients.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3890953 (1975-06-01), Kraus et al.
patent: 4683873 (1987-08-01), Cadossi et al.
patent: 5092835 (1992-03-01), Schurig et al.
patent: 5106361 (1992-04-01), Liboff et al.
patent: 5123898 (1992-06-01), Liboff et al.
patent: 5131904 (1992-07-01), Markoll
patent: 5160591 (1992-11-01), Liboff et al.
patent: 5183456 (1993-02-01), Liboff et al.
patent: 5267939 (1993-12-01), Liboff et al.
patent: 5318561 (1994-06-01), McLeod et al.
patent: 5496258 (1996-03-01), Anninos et al.
patent: 5752911 (1998-05-01), Canedo et al.
patent: 81301291 (1981-11-01), None
Sandyk, R. et al., “Attenuation of Epilepsy with Application of External Magnetic Fields: A Case Report”, Intern. J. Neuroscience, 66:75-85, 1992.
Anninos, P. et al., “Magnetic Stimulation in the Treament of Partial Seizures”, Intern. J. Neuroscience, 60:141-171, 1991.
Canedo Luis E.
Garcia-Cantu Rigoberto
Arter & Hadden LLP
Lacyk John P.
LandOfFree
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