Injectable thermal balls for tumor ablation
First Claim
1. A system for treating tumors, comprising:
- a processing unit equipped with antenna means for transmitting and receiving signals, and including input control means and display means; and
one or more miniature substantially spherical heater balls for being disposed proximate to the tumor, each said heater ball including one or more heater elements and integrated circuitry for controlling said heater elements to radiate heat to the adjacent tumor, said integrated circuitry including input/output data communication circuitry and signal processing circuitry for communicating with said processing unit to receive signals for the purpose of controlling the operation of said heater elements.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of tumor ablation using injectable thermal-sensing balls. A catheter system (115) is used to inject a slurry (134) of thermal-sensing balls (136) into a tumor (122) located in, for example, a liver (120). The catheter system (115) comprises a catheter (128) and a specialized syringe (129) consisting of a housing (130) and a plunger (132). The housing (130) includes a cylindrical chamber having the slurry (134) of thermal-sensing balls (136). The catheter (128) is inserted retrograde into the femoral artery and passed to the site of the tumor (122). The hepatic artery (124) branches into smaller vessels, one of which is a tumor artery (126) which feeds the tumor (122). The tip of the catheter (128) is placed in the tumor artery (126) guided by conventional fluoroscopy. The injected balls (136) then receive energy from an external control system (110). The system (110) comprises a control panel (114) as an operator interface for controlling the system (110) and reading data therefrom. A CPU (112) is used for control and monitor of the operation, and transmits power and signals to the injected balls (136) via a radiating antenna (118), which energy is converted into heat to increase the temperature of the tumor (122). The temperature of the balls (136) can then be read from one or more onboard temperature sensors, and displayed to the operator for accurate control of the tumor temperature.
93 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system for treating tumors, comprising:
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a processing unit equipped with antenna means for transmitting and receiving signals, and including input control means and display means; and
one or more miniature substantially spherical heater balls for being disposed proximate to the tumor, each said heater ball including one or more heater elements and integrated circuitry for controlling said heater elements to radiate heat to the adjacent tumor, said integrated circuitry including input/output data communication circuitry and signal processing circuitry for communicating with said processing unit to receive signals for the purpose of controlling the operation of said heater elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11)
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9. The system of claim I, wherein said one or more heater balls are configured to provide electrical stimulation to the tumor.
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12. A method of treating tumors, comprising:
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providing a processing unit equipped with an antenna for transmitting and receiving signals, and including input control means and display means; and
disposing one or more miniature substantially spherical heater balls proximate to the tumor, each heater ball including one or more heater elements and integrated circuitry for controlling the heater elements to radiate heat to the tumor, the integrated circuitry including input/output data communication circuitry and signal processing circuitry for communicating with the processing unit. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification