METHODS AND DEVICES FOR TREATING TISSUE

• US 20080091182A1
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syneron Medical Limited (Syneron Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Primaeva Medical, Inc. (Syneron Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mehta, Bankim H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,273,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/29
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0016 Energy applicators arranged in a two- or three dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0047 Upper parts of the skin, e.g. skin peeling or treatment of wrinkles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00601 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/328 for improving the appearance of the skin, e.g. facial toning or wrinkle treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0612 using probes penetrating tissue; interstitial probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for achieving the cosmetically beneficial effects of shrinking collagen tissue in the dermis or other areas of tissue in an effective, non-invasive manner using an array of electrodes. Systems described herein allow for improved treatment of tissue. Additional variations of the system include array of electrodes configured to minimize the energy required to produce the desired effect.

Claims

1. A method for applying energy to tissue located beneath a surface layer of the tissue comprising:

providing an energy transfer unit comprising a faceplate having a plurality of openings and a plurality of electrodes moveable through the faceplate;

placing the faceplate in contact with the surface layer;

drawing and maintaining the surface layer of tissue against the openings in the faceplate;

advancing the electrodes through the surface tissue and into the tissue;

applying energy with a portion of the electrode beneath the skin to create a thermal injury to tissue beneath the skin.

2. The method of claim 1, where drawing and maintaining the surface layer of tissue against the openings in the faceplate comprises drawing a vacuum through the openings.

3. The method of claim 1, where the each electrode extends through one opening.

4. The method of claim 1, where the electrodes are mounted on an electrode plate, where the electrode plate is proximally spaced from the faceplate.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising withdrawing the electrodes proximally to the faceplate prior to placing the faceplate in contact with the surface layer and, advancing the electrodes through the tissue comprises advancing the electrodes distally to the faceplate and into the tissue.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising spring loading the faceplate such that advancing the electrode through the tissue comprises advancing the electrodes through the tissue using a spring-force.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising inducing a vibration in the electrode as the electrodes advance through tissue.

8. The method of claim 7, where inducing a vibration in the electrodes comprises applying ultrasound energy to the electrodes.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising placing a portion of the surface tissue in traction prior to advancing electrodes through the surface tissue.

10. The method of claim 9, where each electrode extends through an opening in an introducer member, where pressing the introducer member against the surface tissue places the surface tissue in traction.

11. The method of claim 9, where adjacent electrodes are placed at an oblique angle such that as the electrodes engage tissue, the tissue is placed in traction.

12. The method of claim 2, where the electrodes comprise a curved shape, and where advancing the electrodes comprise rotating the electrodes into tissue.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising advancing the electrodes into tissue until at least one pair of electrodes overlaps in a substantially horizontal manner within the tissue.

14. The method of claim 4, where placing the faceplate in contact with the surface layer comprises applying placing the faceplate against the surface layer with sufficient force to substantially flatten the surface layer;

and where advancing the electrodes comprises advancing the electrodes until the electrode plate contacts the faceplate, and subsequently withdrawing the electrode plate a predetermined distance.

15. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of electrodes comprise a plurality of electrode pairs, each electrode pair comprising an active and return electrode, and where each electrode pair is coupled to an independent channel of a power supply.

16. The method of claim 15, where each electrode pair is spaced a sufficient distance from an adjacent electrode pair to minimize formation of a cross-current path between adjacent electrode pairs.

17. The method of claim 16, where each active and return electrode is spaced sufficiently close to form a treatment-current path between active and return electrodes and minimizes formation of the cross-current path between adjacent electrode pairs.

18. The method of claim 17, where spacing between active and return electrodes is between 1 and 3 mm, and spacing between adjacent electrode pairs is at least 5 mm.

19. The method of claim 15, where each independent channel of the power supply provides no more than 1 watt of energy.

20. The method of claim 15, where the power supply is configured to energize adjacent electrode pairs at different times.

21. The method of claim 15, where the power supply is configured to prevent energizing any electrode pair until the electrodes advance distally to the faceplate.

22. The method of claim 1, where the electrode comprise helical shaped electrodes and where advancing the electrodes through the surface tissue and into the tissue comprises rotating the helical electrode into the tissue.

23. The method of claim 22, where the helical shaped electrode comprises a helical blade.

24. A method for applying energy to tissue located beneath a surface layer of the tissue comprising:

providing an energy transfer unit comprising an array of electrodes adjacent to the surface layer;

placing a portion of the surface layer that is adjacent to each electrode in a state of traction;

advancing at least one of the electrodes through the surface layer;

applying energy to at least one of the electrodes to create a thermal injury to tissue beneath the surface layer.

25. The method of claim 24, where the energy transfer unit further comprises a faceplate having a plurality of openings, where the array of electrodes is moveable through the openings.

26. The method of claim 25, where the electrode array is mounted on an electrode plate, where the electrode plate is proximally spaced from the faceplate.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising withdrawing the electrodes proximally to the faceplate prior to placing the faceplate in contact with the surface layer and, advancing the electrodes through the tissue comprises advancing the electrodes distally to the faceplate and into the tissue.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising spring loading the faceplate such that advancing the electrode through the tissue comprises advancing the electrodes through the tissue using a spring-force.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising inducing a vibration in the electrodes as the electrodes advance through tissue.

30. The method of claim 29, where inducing a vibration in the electrodes comprises applying ultrasound energy to the electrodes.

31. The method of claim 24, where each electrode extends through an opening in an introducer member, where pressing the introducer member against the surface layer places the surface layer in traction.

32. The method of claim 24, where adjacent electrodes are placed at an oblique angle such that as the electrodes engage tissue, the tissue is placed in traction.

33. The method of claim 24, where the electrode array comprises a plurality of electrode pairs, each electrode pair comprising an active and return electrode, and where each electrode pair is coupled to an independent channel of a power supply.

34. The method of claim 33, where each electrode pair is spaced a sufficient distance from an adjacent electrode pair to minimize formation of a cross-current path between adjacent electrode pairs.

35. The method of claim 33, where each active and return electrode is spaced sufficiently close to form formation of a treatment-current path between active and return electrodes and minimizes formation of the cross-current path between adjacent electrode pairs.

36. The method of claim 35, where spacing between active and return electrodes is between 1 and 3 mm, and spacing between adjacent electrode pairs is at least 5 mm.

37. The method of claim 33, where each independent channel of the power supply provides no more than 1 watt of energy.

38. The method of claim 33, where the power supply is configured to energize adjacent electrode pairs at different times.

39. The method of claim 33, where the power supply is configured to prevent energizing any electrode pair until the electrodes advance distally to the faceplate.

40. An electrode array for treating a dermis layer of tissue, the array comprising:

a faceplate comprising a plurality of openings;

a plurality of electrode pairs each pair comprising an active and a return electrode, where the electrode pairs extend through openings in the faceplate;

at least one electrode plate carrying the plurality of electrode pairs, where the electrode plate and face plate are moveable relative to each other to allow for axial movement of the electrode pairs through the openings.

41. The electrode array of claim 40, further comprising a power supply having a plurality of independent channels where each channel is adapted to be coupled to one electrode pair.

42. The electrode array of claim 41, where the power supply is configured to energize adjacent electrode pairs at different times.

43. The electrode array of claim 41, where each independent channel of the power supply provides no more than 1 watt of energy to each electrode pair.

44. The electrode array of claim 41, further comprising a vacuum source fluidly coupled to the openings, such that upon the application of a vacuum and when the faceplates in contact with an epidermis, the epidermis is drawn and maintained against the faceplate.

45. The electrode array of claim 41, where each electrode is moveable through an opening in an introducer member, where pressing the introducer member against the surface tissue places the surface tissue in traction.

46. The electrode array of claim 41, where adjacent electrodes are placed at an oblique angle such that as the electrodes engage tissue, the tissue is placed in traction.

47. The electrode array of claim 41, where the active and return electrodes comprise a curved shape, such that upon rotation, the electrode pairs may penetrate tissue.

48. The electrode array of claim 47, further comprising advancing the electrodes into tissue until at least one pair of electrodes overlaps in a substantially horizontal manner within the tissue.

49. The electrode array of claim 47, where each electrode pair is spaced a sufficient distance from an adjacent electrode pair to minimize formation of a cross-current path between adjacent electrode pairs.

50. The electrode array of claim 49, where each active and return electrode is spaced sufficiently close to form a treatment-current path between active and return electrodes and minimizes formation of the cross-current path between adjacent electrode pairs.

51. The electrode array of claim 50, where spacing between active and return electrodes is between 1 and 3 mm, and spacing between adjacent electrode pairs is at least 5 mm.

52. The electrode array of claim 41, where each independent channel of the power supply provides no more than 1 watt of energy.

53. The electrode array of claim 41, where the power supply is configured to energize adjacent electrode pairs at different times.

54. The electrode array of claim 41, where the power supply is configured to prevent energizing any electrode pair until the electrodes advance distally to the faceplate.

55-118. -118. (canceled)