Therapy apparatus for the functional electromyostimulation of smooth muscle cells

US6128536A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Medizintechnik Dipl.-Ing. Heise Vertriebs GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Thomas Noack · Wolfsburg, DE
• Christian Stief · Frankfurt, DE
• Edgar Weller · Dresden, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 27, 1997
• Grant date: Oct 3, 2000
• Expiry date: Oct 27, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61N1/36007
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method is disclosed for treating erectile dysfunction includes arranging a therapy apparatus to be connected to an electrical power source, placing a skin electrode on two sides laterally of a penile shaft and employing an amplifier for performing the stimulation. A current is applied transcutaneously for a regeneration of the smooth musculature of the penile corpus carnaversum. The current applied has zero line-symmetrical impulses of rectangular or trapezoid form with a built-up time of 0,01 to 2 seconds, a stimulation period of 1 to 60 seconds direct or alternating, a stimulation pause of 0.01 to 60 seconds, a frequency range of 1 to 50 Hertz and an impulse period of 100 .mu.s to 10 ms. Advantageously, the stimulation is performed diagonally alternatingly with zero-line symmetric impulses of trapezoidal shape in a first channel and in a second channel with alternating stimulations. The frequency for the first channel is 10 to 20 Hertz and the frequency for the second channel is 20 to 35 Hertz. The impulse duration is from about 100 to 150 .mu.s. The rise time is 0.5 seconds, the stimulation time is 5 seconds per channel, and the pause between stimulations is 0.5 seconds. The c…