Distal viewing window of a medical catheter

• US 20080312497A1
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Elmouelhi, Ahmed, Morgan, Gareth
• Granted Patent: US 9,186,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/307 for the urinary organs, e.g. urethroscopes, cystoscopes
• 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 2018/00547 Prostate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00982 combined with or comprising means for visual or photographic inspections inside the body, e.g. endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1475 Electrodes retractable in or deployable from a housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/002 Irrigation

Abstract

The disclosure describes an elongated housing, e.g., a catheter, configured to be inserted into a lumen of a patient to diagnose or treat a patient. The elongated housing includes a scope channel that accepts a cystoscope and a viewing window at the distal end of the elongated housing. The user may use the cystoscope to view tissue adjacent to the viewing window. The viewing window may take up at least 10 percent of the length of the elongated housing to allow the user to identify a large area of tissue in the lumen without moving the elongated housing with respect to the tissue. Once the user identifies the target tissue, the user may position the elongated housing graduations on the viewing window and the proximal end of the elongated housing. An ablation needle electrode may be extended into the target tissue to deliver ablation therapy to the target tissue.

Claims

1. A medical device comprising:

an elongated housing that defines a scope channel, a needle channel, and a distal viewing window, wherein;

the distal viewing window is located near a distal end of the elongated housing;

the distal viewing window is at least partially transparent and located along a window axial length and around a portion of a housing perimeter; and

the distal viewing window has a length that is at least 10 percent of a housing length.

2. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of window graduations located over the distal viewing window; and

a plurality of housing graduations located over a proximal end of the elongated housing.

3. The medical device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of window graduations have a spacing equal to the spacing of the plurality of housing graduations.

4. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the viewing window is located around the entire housing perimeter.

5. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the window axial length is between 20 percent and 50 percent of the housing length.

6. The medical device of claim 1, wherein:

the scope channel is parallel to an elongated housing axis and accepts a cystoscope that is inserted into the scope channel; and

the needle channel is substantially parallel to an elongated housing axis.

7. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the needle channel exits out of a port in the distal viewing window.

8. The medical device of claim 1, wherein at least 20 percent of the distal viewing window is located distally of the port.

9. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of ports in the distal viewing window, wherein the needle channel is movable within the elongated housing to allow the needle channel to exit out of any of the plurality of ports.

10. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a distal tip attached to the elongated housing that extends away from an elongated housing axis and the distal end.

11. A system comprising:

a hand-held device comprising a lever actuated by a user;

an elongated housing coupled to the hand-held device that defines a scope channel, a needle channel, and a distal viewing window, wherein;

the distal viewing window is located near a distal end of the elongated housing;

the distal viewing window is at least partially transparent and located along a window axial length and around a portion of a housing perimeter; and

the distal viewing window has a length that is at least 10 percent of a housing length; and

an ablation needle electrode that resides within the needle channel and exits out of a port in the distal viewing window in response to actuation of the lever.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a cystoscope having a lens and an eyepiece, wherein the cystoscope is inserted into the scope channel to transmit light from the distal viewing window, through the lens, and to the eyepiece.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a generator that produces radio frequency ablation energy, wherein the ablation needle electrode delivers the radio frequency ablation energy to a tissue of patient.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the elongated housing comprises:

a plurality of window graduations located over the distal viewing window; and

a plurality of housing graduations located over a proximal end of the elongated housing.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the viewing window is located around the entire housing perimeter.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the scope channel is parallel to an elongated housing axis; and

the needle channel is substantially parallel to an elongated housing axis;

17. The system of claim 11, wherein at least 20 percent of the distal viewing window is located distally of the port.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the elongated housing comprises a plurality of ports in the distal viewing window, wherein the needle channel is movable within the elongated housing to allow the needle channel to exit out of any of the plurality of ports.

19. A method comprising:

inserting an elongated housing that defines a scope channel, a needle channel, and a distal viewing window into a lumen of a patient, wherein;

the distal viewing window is located near a distal end of the elongated housing;

the distal viewing window is at least partially transparent and located along a window axial length and around a portion of a housing perimeter; and

the window axial length is at least 10 percent of a housing length;

moving a cystoscope axially within the scope channel; and

identifying a target tissue through the distal viewing window via the cystoscope.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

positioning the elongated housing within the lumen with respect to the target tissue; and

delivering ablation therapy to the target tissue of the patient.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein delivering ablation therapy comprises:

inserting an ablation needle electrode from the needle channel into the target tissue via a port in the distal viewing window and; and

heating the target tissue with radio frequency ablation energy.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein inserting the ablation needle electrode further comprises extending the ablation needle electrode from the port located proximal to at least the distal 10 percent of the distal viewing window.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising;

moving the needle channel axially within the elongated housing in order for the needle channel to exit out of one of a plurality of ports in the distal viewing window adjacent to the target tissue; and

inserting an ablation needle electrode from the needle channel into the target tissue via the one port adjacent to the target tissue.