Transurethral ablation catheter
First Claim
1. A transurethral ablation catheter for ablating prostatic tissue about a prostatic urethra positioned between internal and external sphincters, comprising:
- an elongated member having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being positioned between said distal and proximal portions and shaped and sized for intimate contact with said prostatic urethra, at least one of said distal and proximal portions including fixation means positionable about at least one of said internal and external sphincters, respectively, for maintaining longitudinally said intermediate portion in said prostatic urethra; and
a thermally conductive heat-emitting element positioned in said intermediate portion and responsive to energy supplied thereto for producing a predetermined thermally conductive heat distribution in said tissue to ablate said tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A catheter, system, and method for selectively ablating prostatic tissue about the prostatic urethra. The catheter includes an elongated member having distal, proximal, and intermediate portions, the intermediate portion being shaped and sized for intimate contact with the prostatic urethra. The distal and proximal portions of the catheter include fixation and cooling balloons having an annular recess therein for positioning the internal and external sphincters therein and for maintaining the longitudinal position of the catheter in the prostatic urethra. A thermally conducted, heat-emitting element is positioned in the intermediate portion for producing a thermally conductive heat distribution to ablate the prostatic tissue. The catheter also includes irrigation and aspiration passageways therein for communicating with the interior of the distal and proximal cooling balloons. A circulating pump of the ablation system circulates coolant through the balloons to maintain the temperature of the sphincters below an injurious temperature. Sensors are positioned about the heat-emitting element as well as in the cooling balloons for supplying information to the controller of the system. The controller in response to the temperature information and the energy supplied to the heat-emitting element controls the supply of energy to the catheter as well as the pump circulating the coolant.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A transurethral ablation catheter for ablating prostatic tissue about a prostatic urethra positioned between internal and external sphincters, comprising:
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an elongated member having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being positioned between said distal and proximal portions and shaped and sized for intimate contact with said prostatic urethra, at least one of said distal and proximal portions including fixation means positionable about at least one of said internal and external sphincters, respectively, for maintaining longitudinally said intermediate portion in said prostatic urethra; and a thermally conductive heat-emitting element positioned in said intermediate portion and responsive to energy supplied thereto for producing a predetermined thermally conductive heat distribution in said tissue to ablate said tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A transurethral ablation catheter for ablating prostatic tissue positioned between internal and external sphincters, comprising:
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an elongated member having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and an intermediate portion positioned between said distal and proximal portions, said distal and proximal portions including cooling means positionable about at least one of said internal and external sphincters for cooling said at least one of said internal and external sphincters; and a heating element positioned about said intermediate portion and responsive to energy supplied thereto for producing a temperature in said tissue to ablate said tissue.
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25. A transurethral catheter for ablating prostatic tissue between internal and external sphincters, comprising:
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first and second elongated coaxial members longitudinally movable relative to each other, said first member having first fixation means for positioning said internal sphincter thereabout, said second member having second fixation means for positioning said external sphincter thereabout; and one of said members including a thermally conductive heat-emitting element positioned between said first and second fixation means and responsive to energy supplied thereto for producing a predetermined, thermally conductive heat distribution in said prostatic tissue. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A system for ablating prostatic tissue between internal and external sphincters, comprising:
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heat-emitting catheter means transurethrally positionable in said prostatic tissue through at least one of said internal and external sphincters and responsive to energy supplied thereto for producing a predetermined, thermally conductive heat distribution in said prostatic tissue to ablate said prostatic tissue, said heat-emitting catheter means including sphincter cooling means positionable about at least one of said internal and external sphincters and responsive to a coolant supplied thereto for maintaining said at least one of said sphincters below a predetermined maximum temperature; said heat-emitting catheter means including temperature sensor means for measuring temperature thereabout; and control means responsive to said temperature measured about said sensor means and said energy supplied to said heat-emitting catheter means for controlling the energy supplied to said heat-emitting catheter means to produce said predetermined, heat distribution in said prostatic tissue. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A system for ablating prostatic tissue between internal and external sphincters comprising:
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catheter means transurethrally positionable in said prostatic tissue through at least one of said internal and external sphincters and responsive to energy supplied thereto for producing a temperature in said tissue to ablate said tissue between said internal and external sphincters, said catheter means including cooling means positionable about at least one of said internal and external sphincters and responsive to a coolant supplied thereto for maintaining said at least one of said sphincters below a predetermined maximum temperature; said catheter means including sensor mean for sensing temperature thereabout; and control means responsive to said temperature sensed about said sensor means and said energy supplied to said catheter means for controlling the energy supplied to said catheter means to ablate said tissue. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. A method for treating prostatic hyperplasia comprising:
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positioning a heat-emitting catheter transurethrally into a prostatic urethra; selectively applying heat to said prostatic urethra between internal and external sphincters for producing an ablative temperature in said prostatic urethra; and cooling at least one of said internal and external sphincters to below a predetermined maximum temperature. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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Specification