System, method and apparatus evaluating tissue temperature
First Claim
1. The method of evaluating a temperature related physical parameter at a subcutaneous region of an animal body, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing one or more passive resonant implants having an electromagnetic response to an extra body applied excitation electromagnetic field, said response exhibiting a predetermined resonant center frequency or frequencies when said implant is at a monitor temperature or temperatures;
(b) providing a detector assembly with an antenna, said detector having a detector output of given amplitude in response to antenna detections of said electromagnetic response at said predetermined resonant center frequency;
(c) positioning said detector assembly antenna at an extra body location effective for deriving a said detector response;
(d) positioning said one or more implants in thermal transfer relationship with said animal body region;
(e) applying said excitation electromagnetic field from an extra body location for an excitation interval effective to elicit said electromagnetic response;
(f) determining the presence of said monitor temperature or temperatures within a resonance time subsequent to said excitation interval in correspondence with said detector output; and
(g) evaluating said physical parameter in correspondence with said step (f).
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method, system and apparatus for monitoring target tissue temperatures wherein temperature sensors are configured as passive resonant circuits each, with a unique resonating signature at monitoring temperatures extending below a select temperature setpoint. The resonant circuits are configured with an inductor component formed of windings about a ferrite core having a Curie temperature characteristic corresponding with a desired temperature setpoint. By selecting inductor winding turns and capacitance values, unique resonant center frequencies are detectable. Temperature monitoring can be carried out with implants at lower threshold and upper limit temperature responses. Additionally, the lower threshold sensors may be combined with auto-regulated heater implants having Curie transitions at upper temperature limits.
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Citations
138 Claims
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1. The method of evaluating a temperature related physical parameter at a subcutaneous region of an animal body, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing one or more passive resonant implants having an electromagnetic response to an extra body applied excitation electromagnetic field, said response exhibiting a predetermined resonant center frequency or frequencies when said implant is at a monitor temperature or temperatures;
(b) providing a detector assembly with an antenna, said detector having a detector output of given amplitude in response to antenna detections of said electromagnetic response at said predetermined resonant center frequency;
(c) positioning said detector assembly antenna at an extra body location effective for deriving a said detector response;
(d) positioning said one or more implants in thermal transfer relationship with said animal body region;
(e) applying said excitation electromagnetic field from an extra body location for an excitation interval effective to elicit said electromagnetic response;
(f) determining the presence of said monitor temperature or temperatures within a resonance time subsequent to said excitation interval in correspondence with said detector output; and
(g) evaluating said physical parameter in correspondence with said step (f). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An implant system for evaluating a temperature related physical parameter at a target tissue, comprising:
an unteathered passive resonant circuit containing sensor with an inductance defining core component having a relative permeability characteristic, exhibiting a drop in relative permeability toward a unity value at a Curie temperature transition occurring within a temperature range Δ
Tc, said circuit being responsive to a transient applied electromagnetic field to resonate at a predetermined resonant center frequency at temperatures below said temperature range, Δ
Tc and exhibiting a dimunition of the intensity of said response at said resonant center frequency in correspondence with said Curie transition range.- View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method for thermally treating a target tissue within the body of a patient, comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining temperature and treatment interval therapy data for carrying out said treatment of said target tissue;
(b) providing one or more passive resonant implants, each having an electromagnetic response of given intensity to an extra body applied interrogational electromagnetic field at a predetermined resonant center frequency only when said implant is at a monitor temperature or temperatures below a target temperature corresponding with said therapy data;
(c) providing a heating assembly controllable to derive an output effecting the generation of heat at said target tissue from an application component located externally of said body;
(d) providing an interrogation assembly having an antenna assembly and controllable to derive and apply said extra body interrogational electromagnetic field and having a detector output in correspondence with antenna assembly detections of said implant electromagnetic response at said predetermined resonant center frequency;
(e) locating said one or more implants at an intra-body location effective for response to temperature at the location of said target tissue;
(f) controlling said heating assembly to elevate the temperature of said target tissue;
(g) controlling said interrogation assembly to derive and apply said extra body interrogational electromagnetic field to said located one or more implants for an interrogation interval deriving said detector output; and
(h) controlling said heating assembly in correspondence with said detector output. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. An implant system for evaluating a temperature related physical parameter at a target tissue, comprising:
an unteathered passive resonant circuit containing sensor with an inductor component and a capacitor component configured as a resonant circuit, said capacitor component and/or said inductor component exhibiting respective capacitance value or values and/or inductance value or values corresponding with a temperature of said target tissue, said circuit being responsive to a transient applied electromagnetic field to resonate at predetermined resonant frequencies corresponding with said temperature or temperatures. - View Dependent Claims (67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A temperature responsive unteathered sensor implant for evaluating a temperature rise from a monitoring temperature or temperatures to a set point temperature comprising:
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a core component exhibiting a relative permeability characteristic elevating in value with a corresponding elevation in monitoring temperatures and exhibiting a Curie temperature above said monitoring temperatures corresponding with said set point temperature;
an inductive winding with turns wound about said core component to define an inductive component;
a capacitor coupled with said inductive winding to define a resonant circuit electromagnetically excitable to have a resonating output at a select resonant center frequency and exhibiting a decrease in the intensity of said resonating output at said select resonant center frequency when at temperatures approaching at said Curie temperature. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. A method for thermally treating target tissue within the body of a patient, comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining temperature and treatment interval therapy data for carrying out said treatment of said target tissue;
(b) providing one or more unteathered passive resonant sensor implants, each having an electromagnetic response to an extra body applied interrogational electromagnetic field at a resonant center frequency when said sensor implant is at monitor temperatures;
(c) providing one or more unteathered passive auto-regulating heaters having a thermal response to an extra body applied alternating current field to elevate in temperature to a predetermined temperature or temperatures, whereat said heaters are thermally unresponsive to said applied alternating current field;
(d) providing a heating assembly controllable to derive said applied alternating current field from an application component located externally of said body effecting said thermal response;
(e) providing an interrogation assembly having an antenna assembly and controllable to derive and apply said extra body interrogational electromagnetic field and having a detector output in correspondence with antenna assembly detections of said sensor implant electromagnetic response at said monitor temperatures;
(f) locating one or more said sensor implants at an intra-body location effective for response to temperature at the location of said target tissue;
(g) locating one or more said heaters at an intra-body location effective for heating said target tissue;
(h) controlling said heating assembly to elevate the temperature of said one or more passive auto-regulating heaters;
(i) controlling said interrogation assembly to derive and apply said extra body interrogational electromagnetic field to said located one or more sensor implants for an interrogational interval deriving said detector output; and
(j) controlling said heating assembly in correspondence with said detector output. - View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 103)
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102. The method on F6 in which:
said step (b) provides said one or more unteathered passive resonant sensors having a said electromagnetic response at a said resonant center frequency corresponding with monitor temperatures below a said limit temperature.
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104. Stent apparatus for positioning within the body of a patient, comprising:
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a metal stent structure having a contact surface configured for abutting engagement with tissue of said patient and formed with material responsive to energy non-invasively applied from an extra-body source to elevate in temperature; and
a first passive resonant sensor attached to said stent structure having an electromagnetic response to an extra body applied interrogational electromagnetic field at monitor temperatures. - View Dependent Claims (105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118)
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119. A system for evaluating a temperature related physical parameter at a target region of a patient, comprising:
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one or more teatherless passive resonant implants located internally within said patient in thermally responsive relationship with said target region, each said implant having a unique resonant electromagnetic response within a frequency bandwidth of responses in reaction to an extra body applied electromagnetic field when said implant is at a monitor temperature or temperatures;
an excitation assembly comprising an excitation antenna positionable adjacent said patient at a location effective to derive said unique electromagnetic response, a high voltage power supply having a high voltage output, when enabled, a resonant excitation circuit coupled with said excitation antenna and responsive to an excite signal to effect generation of said applied electromagnetic field for an excitation interval;
a detector assembly comprising a sense antenna positionable adjacent said patient at a location effective, when said detector assembly is enabled, to detect said unique electromagnetic response as a sense antenna output, a bandpass filter network coupled to filter said sense antenna output in correspondence with said frequency bandwidth of responses, and an amplifier network configured to amplify said filtered sense antenna output to provide an amplified output;
a control circuit responsive to derive said excite signal for said excitation interval, subsequently responsive to enable said detector assembly to permit derivation of said amplified output;
a data acquisition and control network responsive to sample and digitize said amplified output to provide digitized waveform data, to derive frequency intensity signals therefrom about the center frequencies of each said unique resonant electromagnetic response when a said implant is at a said monitor temperature or temperatures, responsive to said frequency intensity signals and implant identification data representing a corresponding unique resonant electromagnetic response to derive implant status data; and
a readout assembly responsive to said implant status data to provide a discernable readout corresponding therewith. - View Dependent Claims (120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129)
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130. A system for thermally treating a target tissue within the body of a patient, comprising:
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one or more teatherless passive resonant sensors located internally within said patient in thermally responsive relationship with said target tissue, each said sensor having a unique electromagnetic response within a frequency bandwidth of responses in reaction to an extra body applied electromagnetic field when a said sensor is at a monitor temperature or temperatures, and exhibiting a decrease in the intensity of said unique resonant electromagnetic response when approaching a target temperature above said monitor temperature or temperatures;
a heating assembly actuable to apply heat-inducing energy to said target tissue to an extent effective to elevate the temperature toward said target temperature and de-actuable to terminate said application of heat-inducting energy;
an excitation assembly comprising an excitation antenna positionable adjacent said patient at a location effective to derive said unique electromagnetic response, a high voltage power supply having a high voltage output, when enabled, a resonant excitation circuit coupled with said excitation antenna and responsive to an excite signal to effect generation of said applied electromagnetic field for an excitation interval;
a detector assembly comprising a sense antenna positionable adjacent said patient at a location effective, when said detector assembly is enabled, to detect said unique electromagnetic response as a sense antenna output, a bandpass filter network coupled to filter said sense antenna output in correspondence with said frequency bandwidth of responses, and an amplifier network responsive to said bandpass output to provide an amplified output;
a monitor control circuit responsive to derive said excite signal for said excitation interval, subsequently responsive to enable said detector assembly to permit derivation of said amplified output;
a data acquisition network responsive to sample and digitize said amplified output to provide digitized waveform data and to derive frequency intensity data therefrom about the center frequencies of each said unique resonant electromagnetic response when said implant is at a said monitor temperature or temperatures, responsive to said frequency intensity data or said absence thereof and implant identification data representing a corresponding unique resonant electromagnetic response to derive sensor status data; and
a controller, operator actuable to derive said monitor control circuit start input and having a readout assembly responsive to said sensor status data to provide a visibly perceptible corresponding therewith. - View Dependent Claims (131, 132, 133, 134)
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135. An implant for employment in developing a thermotherapy set point temperature at a target tissue when disposed in thermal exchange therewith, comprising:
an unteathered passive resonant circuit with an inductance defining core component formulated with oxides of Fe, Mn and Zn to exhibit a Curie point temperature corresponding with said set point temperature, said circuit being responsive to a transient applied electromagnetic field to resonate at a predetermined resonant center frequency at temperatures below said set point temperature. - View Dependent Claims (136, 137, 138)
Specification