Research on the Application of New Flexible Electrode Materials in Implantable Spinal Cord Stimulators

Abstract

The spinal cord stimulator(SCS) is an implantable medical device based on the gate theory for pain management. Electrodes implanted in the human body receive signals from external electrical pulse transmitters. By precisely stimulating the dorsal column of the spinal cord or nerve roots, they interfere with the transmission of pain signals, achieving the purpose of pain management. However, traditional rigid electrodes may cause immune responses, signal attenuation and other problems due to their low biocompatibility, mechanical mismatch, significant increase in impedance over time, mechanical modulus being too high than that of biological tissues, and inability to change dynamically with the tissues. In recent years, flexible electrodes have provided new ideas for this problem. Flexible electrodes have better biocompatibility and flexibility than rigid electrodes, but they also face challenges such as balancing stability, durability, conductivity and flexibility. This article summarizes the new flexible electrode materials and their preparation for SCS. It conducts comparative experiments on biocompatibility with rigid electrodes, analyzes the electrical, mechanical properties and long-term implantation stability of flexible electrodes, aiming to provide ideas for the development of flexible electrodes for SCS in the future and promote the development of SCS in medical treatment.