The NTCD Kit was designed by Dr. Blaine S. Nashold, MD and Dr. Eric R. Cosman, PhD. It contains an NTCD-TC Electrode designed to be light-weight for easy-handling without drag from the leader- wire. It has a sharpened tip that is 0.25 mm in diameter and 2.0 mm in length. The Electrode has a built-in thermocouple (TC) temperature sensor in its tip for fast-responding monitoring of the RF lesion process.
The Electrode’s insulation has a shoulder adjacent to the exposed tip so the surgeon can visualize under the microscope the penetration of the tip in the spinal cord up to the shoulder, and so that the tip will not drift more than 2 mm into the cord. The NTCD-CN Cannula is passed over the Electrode for rigid handholding. The NTCD-SC Sizing Clamp, which comes with the Electrode, enables adjustability of the tip beyond the Cannula’s square end.
References
- E. R. Cosman, B. S. Nashold, and J. O. Levitt. Theoretical Aspects of Radio Frequency Heat Lesion Making in the Dorsal Root Entry Zone (DREZ). Neurosurgery 1984; 15: 945-950.
- E. R. Cosman, B. S. Nashold, and P. Bedenbaugh. Stereotaxic Radio Frequency Lesion Making., Applied Neurophysiology, 1983;Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 160-166.
