Stimulation of penis erection

1. A penis erection stimulation system, comprising

at least one infusion needle disposed at least partly within at least one housing with a tip end of the at least one infusion needle arranged for penetrating an outer wall of the at least one housing in two or more different penetration areas the at least one housing being adapted for implantation inside a patient's body,

at least one reservoir adapted for implantation inside the patient's body in fluid connection with the at least one infusion needle to supply to the infusion needle a substance to be injected into the patient's body,

at least one pump adapted for implantation inside the patient's body to advance the substance from the reservoir to the at least one infusion needle, and

at least one drive unit adapted for implantation inside the patient's body, the at least one drive unit being coupled to the at least one infusion needle and arranged at least for advancing and retracting a tip end of the at least one infusion needle so that the at least one infusion needle penetrates, upon advancement of the tip end or ends thereof, at least two of said different penetration areas so as to allow for stimulation of penis erection by injecting the substance through said at least two different penetration areas via the at least one infusion needle,

wherein the tip end of the at least one infusion needle, when penetrating the housing's outer wall, is adapted to penetrate into at least one of: the left and right corpus cavernosum, the two deep arteries of the right and left corpus cavernosum, into muscle tissue regulating blood flow to the patient's left and right corpus cavernosum, and into another kind of tissue in close proximity to the patient's left and right corpus cavernosum, allowing stimulation of erection of the two corpora cavernosa,

wherein the system is adapted such that the at least one infusion needle penetrates said at least two different penetration areas upon a single command or single action from the patient, and

wherein the system comprises a control unit configured to control the drive unit, to inject the substance through the at least two penetration areas after a single command or single action from the patient.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drive unit is adapted for advancing and retracting the tip end of the at least one infusion needle in such way that it penetrates, upon advancement of the tip end or ends thereof, said at least two different penetration areas either simultaneously or in immediate time succession.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is adapted such that the time delay between the penetration of a first and a second of said at least two different penetration areas does not exceed 120 seconds, and preferably does not exceed 60 seconds.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is adapted such that once the at least one infusion needle has been retracted from a first of the at least two different penetration areas, advancement of the at least one infusion needle to a second of the at least two different penetration areas is initiated.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least in the penetration areas the outer wall is made from a material which is self-sealing in respect of penetrations resulting from said at least one infusion needle.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the self-sealing material forms at least two window areas in said outer wall, said window areas being positioned for penetration by the tip end of the at least one infusion needle.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the self-sealing material comprises a penetration membrane integrated in the outer wall by being sealingly press-fitted into the outer wall.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the self-sealing material comprises at least one polymer selected from the group of materials comprising silicon and polyurethane.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the self-sealing material is made from a composite material.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the composite material comprises at least one outer shape-giving layer and a self-sealing soft material contained within the outer layer.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the self-sealing soft material is a gel.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the outer wall comprises at least one door in the penetration areas, wherein a drive is connected to the at least one door for actively opening the door so as to allow for the at least one infusion needle to be advanced through the opened door.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two or more different penetration areas are arranged in a single one of said at least one housing so that they can be placed either adjacent to both the right and left corpus cavernosum of the patient's penis and/or the two deep arteries of the right and left corpus cavernosum and/or adjacent to muscle tissue regulating blood flow through the right and left corpus cavernosum.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one infusion needle has a tube-like body closed at the tip end and having a laterally arranged delivery exit port.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one infusion needle is provided for each of at least two of the different penetration areas.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one infusion needle is flexibly bendable, the tip end of each of the at least one infusion needle being arranged for penetrating the outer wall of a first housing and the other end thereof being arranged in a second housing for remote implantation inside the patient's body, the injection needle being sufficiently long to bridge the distance from the second housing for remote implantation to the first housing, and further, through the first housing up to the outer wall of the first housing.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one drive unit comprises at least one of:

a hydraulic drive for transmitting hydraulic energy from a remote location within the patient's body to the at least one infusion needle for advancing the tip end of the infusion needle, hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic drive being guided through the conduit connecting the at least one infusion needle with the at least one reservoir, wherein the system is adapted to at least one of:

use as the hydraulic fluid the infusion liquid to be injected into the patient's body, and

use as the hydraulic fluid a secondary liquid different from an infusion liquid to be injected into the patient's body, and

a mechanical drive element for transmitting kinetic energy from a remote location within the patient's body to the at least one infusion needle, wherein the mechanical drive element comprises at least one of at least one wire directly or indirectly cooperating with the infusion needle so as to cause movement of the needle upon actuation of the wire, and at least one rotating shaft directly or indirectly cooperating with the infusion needle so as to cause movement of the infusion needle upon rotation of the rotating shaft, and

at least one motor, provided for actuating at least one of; the pump, the drive unit, and any other implantable energy consuming part of the system, wherein the at least one motor is adapted for remote implantation within the patient's body separate from the housing within which the tip end of the infusion needle is contained.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the drive unit is configured to laterally displace the tip end of one infusion needle between two lateral positions, such that the one infusion needle can penetrate the housing's outer wall in at least two different penetration areas, the drive unit being configured to displace the tip end of the one infusion needle in at least one of: at least two different lateral directions, and laterally to different penetration sites within each of said different penetration areas.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir comprises at least one first compartment accommodating or adapted to accommodate a first substance, and at least one second compartment accommodating or adapted to accommodate a second substance, the reservoir further comprising a mixing chamber for mixing the substance from the at least one first compartment with the substance from one or more of the at least one second compartment, wherein the substance contained in the at least one second compartment is in at least one of; powder form and freeze-dried form.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein a plurality of the at least one second compartment are liquid-tightly sealed against the at least one first compartment, wherein the system further comprises a mechanism for individually opening a connection between the at least one second compartment and the at least one first compartment.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drive unit comprises at least one of:

a hydraulic drive for transmitting hydraulic energy from a remote location within the patient's body to the at least one infusion needle for advancing the tip end of the infusion needle, wherein hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic drive is guided through the conduit connecting the at least one infusion needle with the at least one reservoir, wherein the system is adapted to at least one of;

use as the hydraulic fluid the infusion liquid to be injected into the patient's body, and

use as the hydraulic fluid a secondary liquid different from an infusion liquid to be injected into the patient's body, and

a mechanical drive element for transmitting kinetic energy from a remote location within the patient's body to the at least one infusion needle, wherein the mechanical drive element comprises at least one of at least one wire directly or indirectly cooperating with the infusion needle so as to cause movement of the needle upon actuation of the wire, and at least one rotating shaft directly or indirectly cooperating with the infusion needle so as to cause movement of the infusion needle upon rotation of the rotating shaft, and

at least one motor, provided for actuating at least one of; the pump, the drive unit, and any other implantable energy consuming part of the system, wherein the at least one motor is adapted for remote implantation within the patient's body separate from the housing within which the tip end of the infusion needle is contained.

22. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

an energy source (E) for providing energy to at least one of the pump, the drive unit and the motor, and any other energy consuming part of the system,

coupling elements (T) for wireless energy transfer from outside the patient's body to the energy storage means for charging the energy storage means from outside a patient's body, when the energy storage means is implanted in a patient's body,

at least one feedback sensor (F) is provided and adapted to sense one or more physical parameters of the patient, process parameters of the system, physical parameters of the patient and/or process parameters of the system,

a feedback subsystem adapted to wirelessly send feedback information relating to the energy to be stored in the energy storage means from inside the human body to the outside thereof, the system being adapted:

to use the feedback information for adjusting the amount of wireless energy transmitted by the energy transmitter,

to provide feedback on parameters relevant for the treatment, including the one or more physical parameters of the patient and/or the process parameters of the system, or

to use the feedback information for adjusting the amount of wireless energy transmitted by the energy transmitter,

to provide feedback on parameters relevant for the treatment, including the one or more physical parameters of the patient and the process parameters of the system.

23. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a programmable internal control unit,

a data transfer port for data transfer between an external data processing device and the internal control unit, the data transfer port being a wireless data transfer port for the data transfer, and

an external control unit comprising a wireless remote control to control from outside the patient's body the internal control unit, the external control unit being adapted for at least one of: manual operation by the patient for setting into operation the internal control unit, and programming the internal control unit.

24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir further comprises a cooling device for keeping the content within at least one compartment of the reservoir at a temperature below 37° C.

25. The system of claim 1 , wherein the drive unit is configured to laterally displace the tip end of at least one of said at least one infusion needle in at least two different lateral directions, the drive unit being adapted to displace the infusion needle in at least: a first lateral direction and back, and a second lateral direction and back, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction, and wherein the drive unit further comprises:

a single, multifunctional drive unit, or

a drive unit including a plurality of different drive units suitably arranged to work in a coordinated fashion, and

wherein the drive unit is adapted to displace the infusion needle in the at least two different lateral directions.