Abstract: Systems and methods provide interface to a patient's autonomic nerves via an interior lumen wall of a blood vessel. Systems can include a probe having at least one electrode for receiving electrical signals from the interior of the lumen wall. The system can include processing components for extracting the signals from noise within the patient's body. Systems can include stimulation electrodes for providing stimulation and eliciting action potentials within the patient and destructive processes for destroying nervous function. The effect of nerve destruction on the propagation of action potentials can be effectively used as a feedback mechanism for determining the amount of nervous function destruction in the patient.

Abstract: Method and systems for ablating nerves including measurement of physiological parameters and/or electrical conduction. The method may include ablating nerves within an artery of a patient such as the renal artery and may include advancing a catheter into the artery, measuring a physiological parameter, emitting an electrical pulse into a wall of the artery, measuring the physiological parameter during or after the step of emitting the electrical pulse, ablating the artery wall, then repeating the steps of measuring the physiological parameter, emitting an electrical pulse, and measuring the physiological parameter during or after the step of emitting the electrical pulse. The change in the physiological parameter caused by the electrical pulse before ablation may be compared to the change in the physiological parameter caused by the electrical pulse after ablation to determine the degree of nerve ablation achieved and whether or not to perform further ablation.

Abstract: An interrogator for remotely interrogating an internal counter of a scoliosis treatment device. An internal counter of the treatment device is incremented for those periods of time in which the treatment level of the device is in excess of a compliance level. The interrogator communicates with the internal counter by means of two serial data lines. On one data line the interrogator generates a clock signal to the internal counter for incrementing the device and on the other data line the interrogator receives a pulse indicating the internal counter has overflowed. By incrementing the internal counter through a full cycle of its maximum count the counter will retain the count present when it is interrogated. Additionally, by counting the number of, clock counts comprising the period from the overflow signal to the end of a full cycle a duplication of the count in the remote internal counter can be stored in the interrogator and subsequently displayed.