Shrinkage of dilatations in the body
First Claim
1. A method for treating a dilatation of a body, including the steps of:
- inserting a catheter into a localized region of said body;
exuding from said catheter a substance capable of perfusing into at least some tissue in said localized region and allowing said substance to perfuse into a tissue of said localized region;
emitting from said catheter energy of a frequency and in an amount effective to heat the substance to a temperature at which it is readily absorbed into a wall of said dilatation;
softening tissue of a wall of said dilatation by application of additional energy at a frequency and power level effective to preferentially heat said tissue of said walls while minimizing thermal injury to an inner surface of said dilatation; and
permanently contracting said dilatation by applying a vacuum by means of at least one suction port so that the dilatation shrinks to a desired diameter.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for shrinking dilatations of a body, removing excess, weak or diseased tissue, and strengthening remaining tissues of the lumen walls. A catheter is disposed near the dilatation and fixed in position by inflatable occlusion balloons. Body fluids present in the occluded dilatation are evacuated and treatment fluid is exuded under pressure into the dilatation. Pressure is maintained by the treatment fluid while energy is applied by the catheter to heat the treatment fluid, causing the lumen walls to absorb the treatment fluid. Additional energy is then applied so as to preferentially heat the lumen wall tissues which have absorbed the treatment fluid, while at the same time treatment fluid is circulated to cool the inner surface of the lumen walls. The dilatation is occluded, a saline solution is introduced and absorbed into the lumen-wall tissue in the occluded region of the dilatation and then heated by application of radio frequency (“RF”) or other energy in order to soften only the lumen-wall tissue of the dilatation, the dilatation is shrunk by application of a chilled saline solution and a vacuum, and additional RF or other energy is emitted to ablate, further shrink, and harden only the lumen-wall tissue of the dilatation, without destroying the inner surface of the lumen or other tissues of the body beyond the lumen walls, thereby promoting growth of epithelial cells.
-
Citations
38 Claims
-
1. A method for treating a dilatation of a body, including the steps of:
-
inserting a catheter into a localized region of said body; exuding from said catheter a substance capable of perfusing into at least some tissue in said localized region and allowing said substance to perfuse into a tissue of said localized region; emitting from said catheter energy of a frequency and in an amount effective to heat the substance to a temperature at which it is readily absorbed into a wall of said dilatation; softening tissue of a wall of said dilatation by application of additional energy at a frequency and power level effective to preferentially heat said tissue of said walls while minimizing thermal injury to an inner surface of said dilatation; and permanently contracting said dilatation by applying a vacuum by means of at least one suction port so that the dilatation shrinks to a desired diameter. - 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, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
-
Specification