NON-INVASIVE AND MINIMALLY INVASIVE DENERVATION METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING THE SAME
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for denervating a bronchial tree of a subject, comprising:
- moving an energy emitter of an instrument through the subject'"'"'s skin;
damaging nerve tissue of the bronchial tree using energy from the energy emitter while the energy emitter is positioned outside of the airway; and
removing the instrument from the subject without severing the entire airway.
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Abstract
A system and method can be used to denervate at least a portion of a bronchial tree. An energy emitter of an instrument is percutaneously delivered to a treatment site and outputs energy to damage nerve tissue of the bronchial tree. The denervation procedure can be performed without damaging non-targeted tissue. Minimally invasive methods can be used to open airways to improve lung function in subjects with COPD, asthma, or the like. Different sections of the bronchial tree can be denervated while leaving airways intact to reduce recovery times.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for denervating a bronchial tree of a subject, comprising:
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moving an energy emitter of an instrument through the subject'"'"'s skin; damaging nerve tissue of the bronchial tree using energy from the energy emitter while the energy emitter is positioned outside of the airway; and removing the instrument from the subject without severing the entire airway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for treating a subject, comprising:
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emitting energy from an external energy source positioned outside of the subject'"'"'s body through the subject'"'"'s skin towards targeted nerve tissue of a bronchial tree; and damaging the nerve tissue using the energy while the external energy source is outside the subject'"'"'s body. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method comprising:
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percutaneously delivering a distal section of an instrument through a subject'"'"'s skin such that the distal section is positioned to damage nerve tissue of a bronchial tree; and denervating at least a portion of a bronchial tree in a subject'"'"'s lung using the instrument to substantially prevent nervous system signals from traveling to a portion of the bronchial tree. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of treating a subject, comprising:
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endovascularly positioning a catheter in a blood vessel to position a distal portion of the catheter proximate to an airway nerve; and delivering energy from the catheter to damage the airway nerve such that nerve signals through the airway nerve are attenuated. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification