ENERGY DELIVERY DEVICE FOR TREATING TISSUE

• US 20070010811A1
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thermage Incorporated (Bausch Health Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thermage Incorporated (Bausch Health Cos., Inc.)
• Inventors: Weber, Bryan, Levinson, Mitchell, Stern, Roger
• Application Number:
  US11/531,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20070010811A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1402 Probes for open surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/148 having a short, rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously, e.g. for neurosurgery or arthroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00011 with fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00023 closed, i.e. without wound contact by the fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00702 Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00779 Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 Resistance or impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1495 Electrodes being detachable from a support structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/403 for thermotherapy, e.g. hyperthermia

Abstract

An electrode assembly adapted to be coupled with a handpiece and powered to treat skin and underlying tissues. A sensor is coupled to the energy delivery device. The sensor may comprise, for example, a force sensor or a thermal sensor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use with a handpiece to non-invasively treat tissue beneath a skin:

surface using radiofrequency energy, the apparatus comprising;

an energy delivery device adapted to be removably coupled to the handpiece, the energy delivery device including a dielectric portion and a conductive portion disposed on the dielectric portion, the conductive portion configured to deliver the radiofrequency energy to the tissue, and the dielectric portion adapted to be positioned between the conductive portion and the skin surface such that the radiofrequency energy is transmitted from the conductive portion through the dielectric portion for capacitively coupling with the tissue to perform the non-invasive tissue treatment; and

a sensor coupled to the energy delivery device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a thermal sensor, a thermocouple, an optical sensor, a current sensor, voltage sensor, an impedance sensor, or a flow sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a force sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the dielectric portion and the conductive portion comprise a flex circuit, and the force sensor is coupled to the flex circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a thermocouple, a thermistor, an infrared photo-emitter, or a thermally sensitive diode.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the energy delivery device further comprises a support structure, the energy delivery device is coupled to the support structure, and the sensor is carried by the support structure.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a cooling media delivery member coupled to the energy delivery device, the cooling media delivery member configured to deliver a cooling media to the energy delivery device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising:

a non-volatile memory coupled to the energy delivery device, the non-volatile memory configured to store at least one of a duty cycle for controlling the fluid delivery member, a number of times the energy delivery device has been moved relative to the skin surface, or a number of areas treated by the energy delivery device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the non-volatile memory is mechanically coupled to the energy delivery device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a non-volatile memory coupled to the energy delivery device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store at least one of:

a number of times the energy delivery device has been moved relative to the skin surface, or

a number of areas treated by the energy delivery device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the non-volatile memory is mechanically coupled to the energy delivery device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the energy delivery device is configured to reduce at least one of an edge effect, an electrode edge effect, an electrode temperature gradient an electrode current density gradient, or a tissue interface surface temperature gradient.