SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VISUALIZING FLUID ENHANCED ABLATION THERAPY

• US 20140275977A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research (Mayo Clinic), Thermedical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research (Mayo Clinic)
• Inventors: Curley, Michael G., Eberl, Gregory R., Packer, Douglas L., Madhavan, Malini
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/420
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/04 by heating by applying electromagnetic radiation A61B18/18; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields, radiation or ultrasound A61N
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00083 low, i.e. electrically insulating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/046 in liquid form
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1472 for use with liquid electrolyte, e.g. virtual electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/487 involving fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/481 involving the use of contrast agent, e.g. microbubbles introduced into the bloodstream analysis of echo signal exploiting properties of a contrast enhancer in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52039
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4808 Multimodal MR, e.g. MR combined with positron emission tomography [PET], MR combined with ultrasound or MR combined with computed tomography [CT]

Abstract

Systems and methods for visualizing fluid enhanced ablation therapy are described herein. In one embodiment, a method for ablating tissue is provided that includes inserting an elongate body into a tissue volume, heating an imageable fluid within the elongate body to transform the imageable fluid into an imageable therapeutic fluid, delivering the imageable therapeutic fluid into the tissue volume to deliver a therapeutic dose of thermal energy to the tissue volume, and imaging the tissue volume to determine the extent of the tissue volume containing the imageable therapeutic fluid. The imageable therapeutic fluid can indicate the extent of the tissue volume that has received the therapeutic dose of thermal energy.

Claims

1. A method for ablating tissue, comprising:

inserting an elongate body into a solid tissue volume having a diseased portion;

heating an imageable fluid within the elongate body to transform the imageable fluid into an imageable therapeutic fluid;

delivering the imageable therapeutic fluid into the diseased portion of the solid tissue volume to deliver a therapeutic dose of thermal energy to the diseased portion of the solid tissue volume such that a lesion is formed;

imaging the solid tissue volume such that an image is displayed showing the imageable therapeutic fluid within the solid tissue volume; and

determining a size of the lesion based on a size of an area defined by the image of the imageable therapeutic fluid within the solid tissue volume.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises delivering energy into the diseased portion of the tissue volume from an ablation element disposed on the elongate body simultaneously with the imageable therapeutic fluid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a heat capacity of the imageable therapeutic fluid is greater than about 2 J/ml-°

C.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the imageable fluid comprises saline and a contrast agent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a ratio of the saline to the contrast agent is about 1:

1.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a ratio of the saline to the contrast agent is about 10:

1.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein a ratio of the saline to the contrast agent is about 20:

1.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the contrast agent is iohexol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein imaging the solid tissue volume is done using a technology selected from the group consisting of fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT) scan, computer axial tomography (CAT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the imageable fluid is heated by a heating element disposed within the elongate body.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the ablation element comprises a source of electromagnetic energy.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the electromagnetic energy is RF electrical energy.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the electromagnetic energy is laser light energy.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the electromagnetic energy is microwave electrical energy.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the ablation element comprises a source of ultrasonic energy.

30. The method of claim 4, wherein the imageable fluid includes a greater amount of saline than contrast agent.

31. The method of claim 4, wherein a ratio of the saline to the contrast agent is about 50:

1.

32. The method of claim 4, wherein a ratio of the saline to the contrast agent is about 200:

1.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the size of the lesion includes applying a 1:

1 ratio to the size of the area defined by the image of the imageable therapeutic fluid.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the size of the lesion includes applying a 2:

3 ratio to the size of the area defined by the image of the imageable therapeutic fluid.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the size of the lesion includes applying a 1:

2 ratio to the size of the area defined by the image of the imageable therapeutic fluid.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the size of the lesion includes applying a 1:

5 ratio to the size of the area defined by the image of the imageable therapeutic fluid.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the size of the lesion includes applying a 1:

10 ratio to the size of the area defined by the image of the imageable therapeutic fluid.

11-17. -17. (canceled)

23-29. -29. (canceled)

38. A method for ablating tissue, comprising:

inserting an elongate body into a solid tissue volume;

delivering a fluid including a contrast agent into the solid tissue volume to deliver a therapeutic dose of thermal energy such that a lesion is formed, wherein the fluid is heated to a therapeutic temperature prior to being delivered into the tissue volume;

imaging the solid tissue volume such that an image is displayed showing the contrast agent within the solid tissue volume; and

determining a size of the lesion based on a size of an area defined by the image of the contrast agent within the solid tissue volume.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein imaging the solid tissue volume is done using an X-ray imaging technology.

40. A method for ablating tissue, comprising:

inserting an elongate body into a target volume of tissue having a predetermined size;

delivering a fluid including a contrast agent into the target volume of tissue, wherein the fluid is heated to a therapeutic temperature prior to being delivered into the target volume of tissue, and simultaneously delivering energy into the target volume of tissue from an ablation element disposed on the elongate body;

determining a size of a portion of the target volume of tissue that contains the contrast agent using a medical imaging technology; and

stopping delivery of the fluid and the energy into the target volume of tissue when the size of the portion of the target volume of tissue that contains the contrast agent is greater than or equal to the predetermined size of the target volume of tissue.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein determining the size of the portion of the target volume of tissue that contains the contrast agent is done using an X-ray medical imaging technology.