ELECTROSURGICAL TREATMENT METHOD AND DEVICE

• US 20060259026A1
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avent Incorporated (Avanos Medical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Baylis Medical Company Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Lifshitz, Nir, Godara, Neil, Hillier, Taylor, Shah, Krishan, Martyn, Amanda
• Application Number:
  US11/381,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259026A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1482 having a long rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously in minimal invasive surgery, e.g. laparoscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00083 low, i.e. electrically insulating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00196 reciprocating lengthwise
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0044 Spinal cord
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1475 Electrodes retractable in or deployable from a housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1497 Electrodes covering only part of the probe circumference

Abstract

A method and device are disclosed for performing an electrosurgical procedure on a bodily tissue. The device has insulated and conductive regions for creating lesions in bodily tissue. A method of using the device is also described, including specific methods of diagnosing and treating sacroiliac-related pain using the device.

Claims

1. A method of delivering energy to a sacroiliac region of a patient'"'"'s body, through a device having at least one electrically insulated region along a portion of a circumference of the device and at least one current delivering region along a remaining portion of the circumference of the device comprising, in any order, the steps of:

positioning the electrically insulated region and the current delivering region within the sacroiliac region of a patient'"'"'s body such that the current delivering region is electrically exposed to a target site and at least a portion of the electrically insulated region shields another site; and

delivering energy to the device;

whereby energy is delivered substantially towards the target site and substantially prevented from being delivered to the shielded site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shielded site comprises a posterior sacral foramen.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the target site comprises at least a portion of a sacral neural crescent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target site comprises at least a portion of a sacroiliac joint margin.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the target site is located within a sacroiliac joint.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein energy is delivered in order to reduce one or more symptoms of sacroiliac joint syndrome.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said one or more symptoms of sacroiliac joint syndrome comprises one or more of:

pain, stiffness and tingling.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein energy is delivered in order to alter the structure or function, or both, of neural tissue.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of delivering energy comprises delivering energy sufficient to ablate one or more neural structures.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the target site includes at least one sacral nerve and wherein energy is delivered in order to treat the at least one sacral nerve.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the target site includes at least two branches of a sacral nerve and wherein energy is delivered to treat the at least two branches of the sacral nerve.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of delivering energy comprises delivering energy selected from the group consisting of:

electromagnetic energy ranging from radio-frequency energy to optical energy, thermal energy and microwave energy.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of delivering energy comprises delivering radio-frequency energy.

14. The method claim 1, further comprising the steps of repositioning the device at a second location within the sacroiliac region of a patient'"'"'s body and delivering energy to the device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein energy is delivered in order to create a strip lesion.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein energy is delivered in order to create a substantially homogeneous lesion.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises current delivering windows separated by a material that is at least a partial electrical insulator.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least some of the current delivering windows are electrically isolated from each other.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one marker for determining the position of the current delivering region.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of measuring at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of temperature, pressure and impedance.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of cooling at least a portion of the device.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of positioning the device utilizes an introducer.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is non-linear.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the device comprises at least one curve.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the curve has a central angle of between about 110 degrees and about 130 degrees, and a radius of curvature between about 5 millimeters and about 15 millimeters.