ABLATION PROBE WITH DEPLOYABLE ELECTRODES

• US 20080071264A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LaZure Scientific Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lazure Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Azure, Larry
• Granted Patent: US 8,109,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1407 Loop
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1425 Needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/143 multiple needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1475 Electrodes retractable in or deployable from a housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/06 for high-frequency therapy

Abstract

The present invention provides systems, devices and related methods for applying electric fields for cancerous cell destruction and tissue ablation. A method can include advancing an ablation probe into a patient; deploying a guide from the delivery member along a guide tissue penetration path, deploying an electrode from the guide along an electrode tissue penetration path, and establishing current flow within the target tissue.

Claims

1. A method of delivering an electric field to a target tissue, comprising:

advancing an ablation probe into a patient;

deploying a guide from the delivery member along a guide tissue penetration path, the guide path curving in a first direction;

deploying an electrode from the guide along an electrode tissue penetration path, the electrode path curving in a second direction; and

establishing current flow extending within the target tissue using the deployed electrode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the guide comprises a microtube.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the curving of the guide in the first direction directs advancement of the guide away from a current flow center, and wherein curving of the electrode in the second direction directs advancement of the electrode circumferentially about the current flow center.

4. The method of claim 1, deploying a plurality of electrodes circumferentially around the current flow center to define a treatment volume.

5. The method of claim 4, positioning a central electrode within the treatment volume.

6. The method of claim 5, establishing current flow to extend from the central electrode to electrodes positioned circumferentially around the current flow center and radially through the treatment volume.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein advancing the ablation probe comprises penetrating a target tissue region with a distal portion of the probe.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing current flow destroys cancerous cells of the target tissue region around the electrode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein cancerous cell destruction comprises low-power, non-thermal tissue ablation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrical current provides an electrical current frequency between about 50 kHz and about 300 kHz, and a voltage field less than about 50 V/cm.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein establishing current flow causes heating of tissue in the volume and creates a lesion.

12. A method of delivering an electric field to a target tissue, comprising:

positioning an ablation probe in a tissue of a patient;

deploying a plurality of electrodes from the probe to define an ablation volume, wherein deploying an electrode of the plurality comprises deploying a microtube from a delivery member of the probe in a first direction and deploying in a second direction an electrode from a lumen of the microtube;

establishing current flow through the ablation volume to provide one or more electric fields extending through the volume.

13. A device for delivering an electric field to a tissue to destroy cells therein, the device comprising:

a probe having a plurality of electrodes positionable in a target tissue region to at least partially define a treatment volume, the probe comprising a delivery member and a plurality of microtubes deployable from the delivery member, each of the electrodes being deployable from an associated one of the microtubes so that the electrodes will induce electric fields extending through the volume.

14. The device of claim 13, the probe further comprising a central electrode positionable in the center of the volume.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of electrodes defining the treatment volume extend circumferentially about the central electrode.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the central electrode forms a distal tip of the probe.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the delivery member comprises a lumen having a plurality of openings and microtubes are advanced through associated openings during deployment.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the microtubes and electrodes are positionable within the delivery member lumen as the probe is advanced through tissue.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the device comprises an electrically floating system.

20. A system for tissue ablation, comprising:

probe comprising a delivery member, a plurality of microtubes deployable from the delivery member, and a plurality of electrodes deployable from the microtubes, the microtubes and electrodes defining a treatment volume when deployed;

an energy source coupled to the probe to establish a target tissue ablating current flow extending through the volume.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a central electrode fixed to or deployable from a distal portion of the probe.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein deployment of the microtube directs advancement of the microtube away from a center of the ablation volume, and wherein deployment of the electrode from the microtube directs advancement of the electrode about a outer portion of the ablation volume.

23. The system of claim 20, the energy source configured to provide alternating electrical current to non-thermally ablate cancerous cells of a target tissue disposed in the volume.

24. The system of claim 20, the energy source configured to provide electrical current to thermally ablate cancerous cells of a target tissue disposed in the volume.

25. The system of claim 20, the energy source configured to provide direct current electrical pulses to irreversibly electroporate cancerous cells of a target tissue disposed in the volume.