Fig. 7

Left (L, filled markers) and right (R, empty markers) acceleration amplitude as a function of the esophageal stimulation level around rip 1 (orange-shades) and C6 (green) as well as the electrode spacing (10–40 mm) with a stimulation intensity of 40 mA. The average left and right acceleration amplitude achieved during stimulation with the needle electrode is indicated as an upper and lower dashed line, respectively. Compared to impulses from the needle electrode, significantly higher acceleration values are measured through stimulation with esophageal electrodes at the level of rib 1, which are as attributed to a higher amount of co-stimulation