Focused ultrasound ablation devices having malleable handle shafts and methods of using the same
First Claim
1. A focused ultrasound ablation device for creating a lesion at a target area in anatomical tissue of a patient comprisingan ultrasound emitting member from which ultrasound energy is emitted and by which the emitted ultrasound energy is focused a predetermined distance from said ultrasound emitting member;
- a handle shaft having a distal end at which said ultrasound emitting member is disposed and having a proximal end; and
a handle at said proximal end of said handle shaft, said handle having an operative position in which said handle is disposed in a predetermined orientation for optimal grasping by a hand of an operator, said handle shaft being sufficiently malleable to assume a selected configuration in order to selectively position said ultrasound emitting member horizontally, vertically and transversely in a selected orientation at an operative site of a patient'"'"'s body so that the ultrasound energy emitted by said ultrasound emitting member is focused at a selected target area in anatomical tissue of the patient to create a lesion at the target area while said handle remains in said predetermined orientation in said operative position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A focused ultrasound ablation device includes an ultrasound emitting member and a handle shaft having a distal end at which the ultrasound emitting member is disposed. The handle shaft is malleable to permit selective, manual shaping of the handle shaft to access a selected anatomical operative site from a remote location and/or to orient the ultrasound emitting member for contact with anatomical tissue at the selected operative site. A method of thermally ablating anatomical tissue includes the steps of manually shaping a malleable handle shaft to orient an active face of an ultrasound emitting member at a distal end of the shaft to contact anatomical tissue at a selected operative site, positioning the active face against the anatomical tissue at the operative site while a proximal end of the handle shaft is disposed at a remote location; emitting ultrasound energy from the ultrasound emitting member; focusing the ultrasound energy at one or more focusing zones within a target area in the tissue and located a predetermined distance in front of the active face and heating the tissue at the target area with the focused ultrasound energy to create a lesion.
-
Citations
29 Claims
-
1. A focused ultrasound ablation device for creating a lesion at a target area in anatomical tissue of a patient comprising
an ultrasound emitting member from which ultrasound energy is emitted and by which the emitted ultrasound energy is focused a predetermined distance from said ultrasound emitting member; -
a handle shaft having a distal end at which said ultrasound emitting member is disposed and having a proximal end; and
a handle at said proximal end of said handle shaft, said handle having an operative position in which said handle is disposed in a predetermined orientation for optimal grasping by a hand of an operator, said handle shaft being sufficiently malleable to assume a selected configuration in order to selectively position said ultrasound emitting member horizontally, vertically and transversely in a selected orientation at an operative site of a patient'"'"'s body so that the ultrasound energy emitted by said ultrasound emitting member is focused at a selected target area in anatomical tissue of the patient to create a lesion at the target area while said handle remains in said predetermined orientation in said operative position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A focused ultrasound ablation device for creating a lesion at a target area in anatomical tissue of a patient comprising
an ultrasound emitting member from which ultrasound energy is emitted and by which the emitted ultrasound energy is focused a predetermined distance from said ultrasound emitting member; - and
a handle shaft having a distal end at which said ultrasound emitting member is disposed and having a proximal end connected to a handle, said handle shaft having a length extending from said handle to said ultrasound emitting member, said handle shaft being malleable over the entirety of said length for selective, manual, adjustment in vertical and horizontal directions whereby said handle shaft is shapeable to assume a selected configuration in order to position said ultrasound emitting member at an operative site of a patient'"'"'s body so that the ultrasound energy emitted by said ultrasound emitting member is focused at a selected target area in anatomical tissue of the patient to create a lesion at the target area while said handle is disposed at a location remote from the operative site.
- and
-
9. A focused ultrasound ablation device for creating a lesion at a target area in anatomical tissue of a patient comprising
an ultrasound emitting member from which ultrasound energy is emitted and by which the emitted ultrasound energy is focused at one or more focusing zones disposed a predetermined distance from a planar active face of said ultrasound emitting member; -
an elongate handle shaft having a central longitudinal axis, a distal end at which said ultrasound emitting member is disposed and having a proximal end; and
a handle at said proximal end of said handle shaft, said handle shaft being malleable for selective, manual adjustment whereby said active face of said ultrasound emitting member is oriented to contact anatomical tissue of a patient so that the ultrasound energy emitted by the ultrasound emitting member is focused within a selected target area in the anatomical tissue to create a lesion at the target area while said handle is disposed in an operative position, said handle shaft being sufficiently malleable to orient said planar active face horizontally, vertically and transversely to said central longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A focused ultrasound ablation device for creating a lesion at a target area in anatomical tissue of a patient comprising
an ultrasound emitting member from which ultrasound energy is emitted and by which the emitted ultrasound energy is focused a predetermined distance in front of said ultrasound emitting member; -
an elongate handle shaft having a distal end at which said ultrasound emitting member is disposed and having a proximal end; and
a handle at said proximal end of said handle shaft, said handle shaft being malleable for selective, manual adjustment in axial and torsional directions to selectively orient said ultrasound emitting member so that the ultrasound energy is emitted in a desired direction from said handle shaft whereby the ultrasound energy is focused at a selected target area in anatomical tissue adjacent said ultrasound emitting member while said handle is disposed at a location remote from the anatomical tissue. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method of thermally ablating anatomical tissue of a patient comprising the steps of
providing a focused ultrasound ablation device comprising an ultrasound emitting member including an active face carried at a distal end of a malleable handle shaft having a proximal end connected to a handle having an operative position in which the handle is in a predetermined orientation for optimal grasping with a hand; -
selecting one of a plurality of different orientations for the active face, said step of selecting including selecting an orientation in which the active face is oriented to contact anatomical tissue at an operative site of the patient'"'"'s body while the handle is disposed at a location remote from the operative site;
manually shaping the malleable handle shaft to orient the active face to assume the selected orientation;
grasping the handle with the hand with the handle in the operative position;
positioning the active face against the anatomical tissue at the operative site while the handle is disposed at the location remote from the operative site;
emitting ultrasound energy from the ultrasound emitting member;
focusing the ultrasound energy at one or more focusing zones within a target area in the anatomical tissue and located a predetermined distance in front of the active face; and
heating the tissue at the target area with the focused ultrasound energy to form a lesion. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
Specification