Foley catheter with ring electrodes

1. An apparatus for monitoring a nerve, comprising:

a Foley type catheter having an exterior surface;

first and second pairs of ring electrodes formed on the exterior surface of the Foley catheter, wherein the second pair of ring electrodes delivers bipolar nerve stimulation, and the first pair of ring electrodes provides bipolar recording of nerve activity;

a processing apparatus to process the recorded nerve activity; and

a first conductor coupled to the processing apparatus and the first pair of ring electrodes to carry signals representing the recorded nerve activity to the processing apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , and further comprising:

a second conductor coupled to the processing apparatus and the second pair of ring electrodes and configured to carry signals between the second pair of ring electrodes and the processing apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second pairs of ring electrodes each comprise an anode ring electrode and a cathode ring electrode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , and further comprising:

a third pair of ring electrodes formed on the exterior surface of the Foley catheter, wherein the third pair of ring electrodes is configured to perform at least one of stimulating the nerve and recording nerve activity.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first pair of ring electrodes includes first and second ring electrodes that are separated by a distance of about 5 mm to 10 mm, and wherein the second pair of ring electrodes includes third and fourth ring electrodes that are separated by a distance of about 5 mm to 10 mm, and wherein the third pair of ring electrodes includes fifth and sixth ring electrodes that are separated by a distance of about 5 mm to 10 mm.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a center of the first pair of ring electrodes is separated from a center of the second pair of ring electrodes by a distance of about 18 mm to about 22 mm, and wherein a center of the second pair of ring electrodes is separated from a center of the third pair of ring electrodes by a distance of about 18 mm to about 22 mm.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the third pair of ring electrodes is most distally positioned on the Foley catheter, and wherein the third pair of ring electrodes is positioned proximally from a proximal end of a balloon of the Foley catheter by a distance of about 35-40 mm.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first pair of ring electrodes includes first and second ring electrodes that are separated by a distance of about 5 mm to 10 mm, and wherein the second pair of ring electrodes includes third and fourth ring electrodes that are separated by a distance of about 5 mm to 10 mm.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a center of the first pair of ring electrodes is separated from a center of the second pair of ring electrodes by a distance of about 8 mm to about 12 mm.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second pair of ring electrodes is most distally positioned on the Foley catheter, and wherein the second pair of ring electrodes is positioned proximally from a proximal end of a balloon of the Foley catheter by a distance of about 47-57 mm.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a center of the first pair of ring electrodes is separated from a center of the second pair of ring electrodes by a distance of about 10.5 mm to about 14.5 mm.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second pair of ring electrodes is most distally positioned on the Foley catheter, and wherein the second pair of ring electrodes is positioned proximally from a proximal end of a balloon of the Foley catheter by a distance of about 68-78 mm.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , and further comprising:

a third pair of ring electrodes formed on the exterior surface of the Foley catheter, wherein the third pair of ring electrodes is configured to perform at least one of stimulating the nerve and recording nerve activity, wherein the third pair of ring electrodes is most distally positioned on the Foley catheter, and wherein the third pair of ring electrodes is positioned proximally from a proximal end of a balloon of the Foley catheter by a distance of about 5-15 mm.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second pairs of ring electrodes is configured to be used for spontaneous recording during surgical dissection.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second pairs of ring electrodes is configured to provide therapeutic stimulation.

16. A method of monitoring nerve activity, comprising:

deploying a Foley type catheter in a urethra of a human patient, wherein the Foley type catheter comprises a first pair of ring electrodes and a second pair of ring electrodes;

stimulating a nerve;

recording nerve activity resulting from the stimulation with at least one of the first and second pairs of ring electrodes; and

calculating a nerve conduction velocity based on the recorded nerve activity.

17. The method of claim 16 , and further comprising:

positioning the second pair of ring electrodes at a membranous urethra of the human patient for the stimulation.

18. The method of claim 16 , and further comprising:

identifying a nerve fiber type corresponding to the calculated nerve conduction velocity.

19. The method of claim 18 , and further comprising:

displaying the identified nerve fiber type on a monitor coupled to the Foley type catheter.

20. A system for monitoring a nerve from a urethra of a patient, the system comprising:

a Foley type catheter configured to be deployed in the urethra and comprising a first pair of ring electrodes and a second pair of ring electrodes, wherein each of the first and second pairs of ring electrodes records nerve activity; and

a monitor apparatus in communication with the first and second pairs of ring electrodes to process the recorded nerve activity.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the Foley type catheter further comprises:

a third pair of ring electrodes configured to perform at least one of stimulating the nerve and recording nerve activity.