Apparatus and method for treating tissue with multiple electrodes
First Claim
1. A probe system for penetrating a plurality of electrodes into tissue, said probe system comprising:
- a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending to at least the distal end,a core disposed coaxially within the cannula lumen, said core having a cylindrical outer surface which together with an inner surface of the cannula lumen defines an annular envelope; and
a plurality of resilient electrodes disposed in the annular envelope wherein at least a portion of the electrodes are mechanically coupled to the core to reciprocate between a proximally retracted position wherein all electrodes are radially constrained within the lumen and a distally extended position wherein all electrodes deploy radially outwardly, said plurality including at least three electrodes,whereby the envelope maintains substantially equal circumferential spacing between adjacent electrodes when retracted in the cannula lumen.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A probe system for volumetric tissue heating and ablation comprises a cannula having a multiple electrode component reciprocatably mounted therein. Individual electrodes within the array have spring memory so that they assume a radially outward, arcuate configuration as they are advanced distally from the cannula. Preferably, the electrodes fully evert as they are advanced from the cannula. Prior to deployment, the electrodes are constrained within a lumen of the cannula. The electrodes are maintained with a uniform circumferential spacing by confining them within an annular envelope defined by a core member within the cannula lumen, by providing electrodes having asymmetric cross-sectional geometries, and/or by nesting the electrodes closely together. Optionally, a cutting current may be applied to the electrodes as they are advanced.
596 Citations
66 Claims
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1. A probe system for penetrating a plurality of electrodes into tissue, said probe system comprising:
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a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending to at least the distal end, a core disposed coaxially within the cannula lumen, said core having a cylindrical outer surface which together with an inner surface of the cannula lumen defines an annular envelope; and a plurality of resilient electrodes disposed in the annular envelope wherein at least a portion of the electrodes are mechanically coupled to the core to reciprocate between a proximally retracted position wherein all electrodes are radially constrained within the lumen and a distally extended position wherein all electrodes deploy radially outwardly, said plurality including at least three electrodes, whereby the envelope maintains substantially equal circumferential spacing between adjacent electrodes when retracted in the cannula lumen. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A probe system for penetrating a plurality of electrodes into tissue, said probe system comprising:
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a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending to at least the distal end; and a plurality of resilient electrodes, at least a portion having asymmetric cross-sections with a major dimension aligned circumferentially and a minor dimension aligned radially, disposed in the cannula lumen to reciprocate between a proximally retracted position wherein all electrodes are radially constrained within the lumen and a distally extended position wherein all electrodes deploy radially outwardly, said plurality including at least three electrodes, whereby the shape and alignment of the electrodes maintains substantially equal circumferential spacing between adjacent electrodes when retracted in the cannula lumen. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A probe system comprising:
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a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending to at least the distal end, a cylindrical core disposed coaxially within the cannula lumen to define an annular envelope; and a plurality of resilient electrodes disposed in the annular envelope to reciprocate between a proximally retracted position wherein all electrodes are radially constrained within the envelope and a distally extended position wherein all electrodes deploy radially outwardly, at least a portion of said electrodes having asymmetric cross-sections with a major dimension aligned circumferentially within the annular envelope and a minor dimension aligned radially within the annular envelope. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A probe system comprising:
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a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending to at least the distal end; and at least four electrodes reciprocatably disposed within the lumen of the cannula, wherein the electrodes are nested within an annulus within the cannula lumen when retracted therein, each said electrode having an asymmetric cross-section. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51)
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50. A method for delivering current to a target region within solid tissue comprising:
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constraining a plurality of at least three electrodes within a cannula, wherein at least a portion of the electrodes have an asymmetrical cross-section and a distal tip arranged in a pattern whereby the distal tips are substantially equally spaced-apart within an annular region near a distal end of the cannula, advancing the electrodes distally from the cannula into tissue at the target region, wherein the electrodes deploy radially outwardly in a symmetric pattern into the tissue; and applying electrical current to the tissue through the electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A method for deploying electrodes in tissue, said method comprising:
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providing a plurality of at least three asymmetric electrodes constrained within a cannula; and advancing each of the electrodes distally from the cannula into tissue, wherein spacing between adjacent electrodes is maintained within ±
20% of the average distance between electrodes as the electrodes are advanced. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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Specification