Neurostep

In late 2007, Québec-based publicly traded Victhom implanted its Neurostep device in a Vancouver-area patient.

Neurostep uses closed-loop modulation to treat foot drop. Foot drop is a weakness in the ankle and toe dorsiflexors, muscles that bring the foot back toward the leg when walking or running, thereby preventing the foot from dragging.

There are various causes for this condition, including muscle injury, nerve damage, diabetes, and a variety of other conditions, predominantly stroke and multiple sclerosis. People with spinal stenosis also have a higher risk of developing this condition.

External stimulators have been used to treat foot drop since 1961, but implants for the condition date only to the late 1980s. Victhom’s is the first fully implantable device for foot drop, and the first technology to sense the foot position as well as provide neural stimulation.

In January 2008, Victhom announced that upcoming clinical trials of the device would take place in India. Previously announced were trials in Vancouver, Québec and the United Kingdom.

Victhom is also known for producing biomechatronic prostheses, ones that rely on links between the body’s neural network and the prosthesis’s electronic circuitry to control motion.

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