Vapor treatment of lung nodules and tumors

• US 10,485,604 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uptake Medical Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uptake Medical Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Henne, Erik, Barry, Robert Lawrence, Mest, Robert Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Giuliani, Thomas A
• Application Number:
  US14/957,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20160151103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 606 20- 22, 606 27, 604 26, 607104, 607105
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/04 by heating by applying electromagnetic radiation A61B18/18; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields, radiation or ultrasound A61N
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00541 Lung or bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/048 in gaseous form

Abstract

Systems and methods for treating a lesion in a lung of a patient are described. Embodiments can include navigating a vapor exit port of a vapor delivery catheter to an airway point near a lung region in which the lesion resides, delivering condensable vapor from the vapor delivery catheter along anatomic boundaries of the lung region, and creating a uniform field of necrosis in tissue around the lesion by allowing the condensable vapor to condense.

Claims

1. A method of treating a lesion in a lung of a patient, the method comprising:

navigating a vapor exit port of a vapor delivery catheter along an airway and to a point near a lung region in which the lesion resides, and in which the lung region can be isolated from a portion of the airway, wherein the lung region comprises a lung segment, subsegment or sub-subsegment having segmental boundaries encompassing both the lesion and healthy tissue surrounding the lesion and extending to the segmental boundaries;

delivering condensable vapor from the exit port of the vapor delivery catheter for a first treatment time into said lung region sufficient to create a uniform field of necrosis in the lesion, the healthy tissue around the lesion and along said segmental boundaries by allowing the condensable vapor to condense; and

determining, prior to the step of delivering, a first amount of energy to cause said uniform field of necrosis in the healthy tissue around the lesion, and to cause a well-defined ablation boundary between the uniform field of necrosis in the healthy tissue around the lesion and healthy non-targeted tissue along the segmental boundaries; and

wherein the determining step is based on an airway diameter at said point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the lung region is a subsegment of the lung.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the lung region is a sub-subsegment of the lung.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivering step comprises creating the uniform field of necrosis in healthy tissue around the lesion without charring this healthy tissue.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivering step comprises creating the uniform field of necrosis in healthy tissue around the lesion without thermally fixing this healthy tissue.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivering step comprises transferring 270-450 calories of energy from the condensable vapor to the lesion and healthy tissue around the lesion.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first treatment time is 8 seconds.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising isolating the lung region from the portion of the airway at said point by expanding a balloon in the airway at said point.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first amount of energy is further correlated with bronchus generation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first amount of energy ranges from 125 to 330 calories.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of delivering limits a depth of ablation of neighboring healthy non-targeted tissue to approximately 1 mm from the well-defined ablation boundary.

12. A method of treating a lesion in a lung of a patient, the method comprising:

navigating a vapor exit port of a vapor delivery catheter along an airway and to an isolation point near a lung sub-segment in which the lesion resides, and in which the lung sub-segment can be isolated from a portion of the airway, the lung sub-segment having segmental divisions encompassing both the lesion and tissue surrounding the lesion;

delivering condensable vapor from the exit port of the vapor delivery catheter into said lung sub-segment sufficient to create a uniform ablation in tissue around the lesion and along said segmental divisions;

determining, prior to the step of delivering, a correlated first amount of energy sufficient to cause (a) said uniform ablation in tissue around the lesion and along said segmental divisions and (b) a distinct collagen denaturation boundary that follows the segmental divisions; and

wherein the first amount of energy is based on diameter of the airway at the point of isolation of the lung subsegment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first amount of energy is further correlated with bronchus generation.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the boundary includes pleural surfaces.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of delivering limits a depth of ablation of healthy non-targeted tissue to approximately 1 mm from the distinct collagen denaturation boundary.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first amount of energy ranges from 270 to 450 calories.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of delivering has a duration of 8 seconds.