Implantable Electrode Lead

Abstract

An implantable electrode lead for transmitting electrical impulses to excitable bodily tissue and/or for transmitting electrical signals tapped at bodily tissue to a detection unit. The electrode lead including a distal electrode, a proximal electrode connector, and an electrode supply lead which connects the electrode, or each electrode, to the electrode connector, or each electrode connector, and extends in a lead body, wherein the lead body includes a hinged alignment of hard elements.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . An implantable electrode lead for transmitting electrical impulses to excitable bodily tissue or electrical signals tapped at bodily tissue to a detection unit or combinations thereof, the electrode lead comprising:
 a distal electrode;   a proximal electrode connector;   a lead body; and   an electrode supply lead which connects the distal electrode, or each electrode, to the electrode connector, or each electrode connector, and/or is used to transmit electrical shocks and/or to control sensors, and which extends in the lead body,   wherein the lead body comprises a hinged alignment of closely interspaced hard elements configured and spaced for protecting the lead body and the electrode supply lead from radially acting forces,   wherein the distal electrode comprises a ring electrode situated as a ring around an outer circumference of one of the hard elements,   wherein at least the one hard element includes a radial recess into which the electrode supply lead is accommodated, the radial recess sized smaller than the electrode supply lead such that the electrode supply lead accommodated therein is forced into mechanical and electrical connection with an inner wall of the ring electrode.   
     
     
         26 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein sections which are compressible or bendable in a flexibly yielding or flexurally resilient manner are inserted into the hinged alignment of hard elements. 
     
     
         27 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein sections which are compressible and bendable in a flexibly yielding or flexurally resilient manner are inserted into the hinged alignment of hard elements. 
     
     
         28 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein the hinged alignment of hard elements is enclosed by a flexibly yielding material, at least in sections. 
     
     
         29 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein a flexible tube is drawn over the alignment of hard elements, at least in sections. 
     
     
         30 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein the hard elements contain at least one of the following materials:
 a metal,   a ceramic,   a glass, and   a plastic.   
     
     
         31 . The electrode lead according to  claim 30 , wherein:
 the metal comprises platinum, tantalum, iridium, palladium, stainless steel, gold, or MP35N,   the ceramic comprises Al2O3, ZrO2, TiO2, MgO, ZnO, Al2O3+TiO2, BaO+TiO2, SiC, BeO, AlN, HfC, TaC, TiN, BN, B4C, WC or Si3N4, and   the plastic comprises PEEK, silicone, a copolymer, a polyimide, PA, high-density polyethylene or polysulphone, or variants of the aforementioned plastics filled with fibers or nanoparticles.   
     
     
         32 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein at least a few of the hard elements are directly adjacent to one another and include end faces that face one another, wherein the end faces are shaped in a manner such that tilting about a longitudinal axis of the electrode lead, which is limited relative to a minimal bending radius, is possible. 
     
     
         33 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein at least a few of the hard elements are directly adjacent to one another and are directly interconnected to each other in a tension-resistant manner using joint sections. 
     
     
         34 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein first and second hard elements which are differently shaped and additionally, or alternatively, differently sized, are enmeshed in a hinged manner. 
     
     
         35 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , further comprising soft elements, wherein the hard and soft elements are enmeshed in a hinged manner and provided in alternating alignment. 
     
     
         36 . The electrode lead according to  claim 35 , wherein the hard and soft elements are formed as an integral tube, wherein the hard elements are formed by rigid sections of the tube, between which the soft elements present which are defined by recesses formed in a wall of the tube. 
     
     
         37 . The electrode lead according to  claim 36 , wherein the recesses comprise spiral extending recesses. 
     
     
         38 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein at least one of the hard elements comprises a fixation element for mechanically fixing the electrode lead in an implanted state. 
     
     
         39 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein the hard elements include at least one central or one off-center lumen, or combinations thereof, for receiving additional electrode supply lines. 
     
     
         40 . The electrode lead according to  claim 25 , wherein at least one of the hard elements contains an electrical or electronic component in a cavity provided therein configured to electrically and mechanically connect to the electrode supply lead. 
     
     
         41 . The electrode lead according to  claim 40 , wherein the electrical or electronic component comprises an electrode, a coil, a sensor element, a capacitor, or an active electronic component or an electronic circuit. 
     
     
         42 . An implantable electrode lead for transmitting electrical impulses to excitable bodily tissue or electrical signals tapped at bodily tissue to a detection unit or combinations thereof, the electrode lead comprising:
 a lead body comprising a hinged alignment of closely interspaced hard elements;   a ring electrode situated as a ring around an outer circumference of one of the hard elements;   a proximal electrode connector;   an electrode supply lead which connects the ring electrode to the proximal electrode connector and/or is used to transmit electrical shocks and/or to control sensors, and which extends in the lead body,   wherein at least the one hard element includes a radial recess into which the electrode supply lead is accommodated, the radial recess sized smaller than the electrode supply lead such that the electrode supply lead accommodated therein is forced into mechanical and electrical connection with an inner wall of the ring electrode.   
     
     
         43 . The electrode lead according to  claim 42 , wherein at least a few of the hard elements are directly adjacent to one another and include end faces that face one another, wherein the end faces are shaped in a manner such that tilting about a longitudinal axis of the electrode lead, which is limited relative to a minimal bending radius, is possible. 
     
     
         44 . The electrode lead according to  claim 42 , wherein the hard elements include at least one central or one off-center recess or lumen, or combinations thereof, for receiving additional electrode supply lines.