Thermal treatment methods and apparatus with focused energy application
First Claim
1. A method of applying energy to the wall of an internal organ of a living subject comprising the steps of:
- (a) positioning an expansible structure within the body of the subject in or adjacent to said organ and bringing said expansible structure to an expanded condition; and
(b) directing energy onto an active region of said expansible structure so that energy is reflected from said active region and directed onto the wall of the internal organ, said expansible structure focusing said energy in a focal region.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A collapsible ultrasonic reflector incorporates a gas-filled reflector balloon, a liquid-filled structural balloon an ultrasonic transducer disposed within the structural balloon. Acoustic energy emitted by the transducer is reflected by a highly reflective interface between the balloons. In a cardiac ablation procedure, the ultrasonic energy is focused into an annular focal region to ablate cardiac tissue extending in an annular path along the wall. Devices for stabilizing the balloon structure and for facilitating collapse and withdrawal of the balloon structure are also disclosed.
149 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of applying energy to the wall of an internal organ of a living subject comprising the steps of:
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(a) positioning an expansible structure within the body of the subject in or adjacent to said organ and bringing said expansible structure to an expanded condition; and
(b) directing energy onto an active region of said expansible structure so that energy is reflected from said active region and directed onto the wall of the internal organ, said expansible structure focusing said energy in a focal region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of forming a conduction block in the wall of a heart of a mammalian subject comprising the steps of:
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(a) applying energy to a treatment region extending along a loop-like path at least partially encircling a region so as to ablate tissue along said region;
(b) detecting electrophysiologic signals within said region; and
(c) terminating said energy-applying step in response to a change in said electrophysiologic signals. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification