Modeling of Nerve Stimulation Thresholds and Their Dependence on Electrical Impedance with COMSOL

P. Krastev[1], and B. Tracey[1]
[1]Neurometrix, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Published in 2009

Nerve localization is important for applications in regional anesthesia. Localization is achieved by stimulating the nerve with an electric field produced by a current from a needle inserted into the body of the patient, close to the target nerve.  Modeling of the electric field in close proximity to the nerve may help to explain observed variations in threshold currents and can help to devise automated procedures that speed up the process. We present a realistic model of an arm with frequency dependent dielectric properties of tissues that allows us to study this effect.

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