Stimulation method for the sphenopalatine ganglia, sphenopalatine nerve, or vidian nerve for treatment of medical conditions

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein activation of the at least one electrode is done to treat: (i) pain resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising: migraine headaches, including migraine headaches with aura, migraine headaches without aura, menstrual migraines, migraine variants, atypical migraines, complicated migraines, hemiplegic migraines, transformed migraines, and chronic daily migraines; episodic tension headaches; chronic tension headaches; analgesic rebound headaches; episodic cluster headaches; chronic cluster headaches; cluster variants; chronic paroxysmal hemicrania; hemicrania continua; post-traumatic headache; post-traumatic neck pain; post-herpetic neuralgia involving the head or face; pain from spine fracture secondary to osteoporosis; arthritis pain in the spine, headache related to cerebrovascular disease and stroke; headache due to vascular disorder; reflex sympathetic dystrophy, cervicalgia; glossodynia, carotidynia; cricoidynia; otalgia due to middle ear lesion; gastric pain; sciatica; maxillary neuralgia; laryngeal pain, myalgia of neck muscles; trigeminal neuralgia; post-lumbar puncture headache; low cerebro-spinal fluid pressure headache; temporomandibular joint disorder; atypical facial pain; ciliary neuralgia; paratrigeminal neuralgia; petrosal neuralgia; Eagle's syndrome; idiopathic intracranial hypertension; orofacial pain; myofascial pain syndrome involving the head, neck, and shoulder; chronic migraneous neuralgia, cervical headache; paratrigeminal paralysis; sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia; carotidynia; Vidian neuralgia; and causalgia; (ii) movement disorders resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising: Parkinson's disease; cerebropalsy; dystonia; essential tremor; and hemifacial spasms; (iii) epilepsy, including generalized and partial epilepsy; (iv) cerebrovascular diseases resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising: aneurysms, strokes, and cerebral hemorrhage; (v) autoimmune diseases resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising multiple sclerosis; (vi) sleep disorders resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising sleep apnea and parasomnias; (vii) autonomic disorders resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising: gastrointestinal disorders, including but not limited to gastrointestinal motility disorders, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chronic hiccups, gastroesphageal reflux disease, and hypersecretion of gastric acid; autonomic insufficiency; excessive epiphoresis; excessive rhinorrhea; and cardiovascular disorders including but not limited to cardiac dysrythmias and arrythmias, hypertension, and carotid sinus disease; (viii) urinary bladder disorders resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising spastic or flaccid bladder; (ix) abnormal metabolic states resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism (x) disorders of the muscular system resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising muscular dystrophy and spasms of the upper respiratory tract and face; and (xi) neuropsychiatric disorders resulting from one or more medical conditions comprising: depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Claim 6

The method of claim 3 wherein the step of activating the at least one electrode comprises adjusting the electrical signal in voltage, frequency, pulse width, current, or intensity.

Claim 7

The method of claim 3 wherein the activating step comprises making the electrode positive or negative and changing the direction of current flow.

Claim 8

The method of claim 5 wherein the activating step comprises powering the at least one electrode by using a programmable power source surgically implanted within the patient.

Claim 9

The method of claim 6 wherein the activating step comprises remotely controlling the at least one electrode by using a remote control device accessible from outside the body of the patient.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7 wherein the at least one electrode is multi-polar.

Claim 11

The method of claim 8 wherein the activating step comprises using the at least one electrode to apply an electrical signal with an intensity in the range of from about 0.1 to 20 volts, a frequency in the range of from about 1 to 1000 Hertz, and a pulse width in the range of between 25 to 1000 microseconds.

Claim 12

The method of claim 8 wherein the activating step comprises using the at least one electrode to apply an electrical signal with an intensity in the range of from about 0.1 to 20 volts, a frequency in the range of from about 1 to 1000 Hertz, and a pulse width in the range of between 1 to 2500 microseconds.

Claim 13

The method of claim 7 wherein the at least one electrode is unipolar.

Claim 14

The method of claim 7 wherein the at least one electrode is bipolar.

Claim 21

The method recited in claim 15 , wherein said step of modulating the electrical signal includes the step of varying the intensity of the electrical signal.

Claim 22

The method recited in claim 15 , wherein said step of modulating the electrical signal includes the step of varying the duration of time the electrical signal is applied.

Claim 23

The method recited in claim 15 , wherein said step of modulating the electrical signal includes the step of varying the frequency of the electrical signal.