Ultrasound medical system and method

• US 7,473,250 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: O'Connor, Brian D., Makin, Inder Raj S., Messerly, Jeffrey D., Mast, T. Douglas, Faidi, Waseem, Slayton, Michael H., Barthe, Peter G., Runk, Megan M., Jaeger, Paul M., Park, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PEFFLEY, MICHAEL F
• Application Number:
  US10/850,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20050261611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 606/27, 606/28, 606/41, 606 48- 50, 606/169, 604/22
• US Class Current: 606/27
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2202 the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/06 caused by chemical reaction , e.g. moxaburners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/08 by means of electrically-heated probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/12 by passing a current through the tissue to be heated, e.g. high-frequency current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1815 using microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092

Abstract

An ultrasound medical system includes an interstitial end effector. The interstitial end effector is interstitially insertable into patient tissue, includes at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and includes at least one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device. One method for ultrasonically treating a lesion in a patient includes the steps of obtaining the interstitial end effector and inserting it into the patient creating a tissue track which is surrounded by patient tissue and which ends at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector. Other steps include ultrasonically ablating the lesion using the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track along substantially the entire tissue track, and withdrawing the end effector from the patient.

Claims

1. An ultrasound medical system comprising an interstitial end effector which includes a distalmost end formed as a tissue-track-creating, tissue-piercing tip, which is interstitially insertable into patient tissue, which includes at least one lesion-ablating medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and which includes at least one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device, wherein the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device is spaced apart from the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer.

2. The ultrasound medical system of claim 1, also including a controller which is operatively connected to the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer to ultrasonically ablate a lesion in patient tissue of the patient and which is operatively connected to the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate patient tissue surrounding the interstitial end effector during withdrawal of the interstitial end effector from the patient.

3. The ultrasound medical system of claim 2, wherein the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device includes a cylindrical ultrasound transductor.

4. The ultrasound medical system of claim 2, wherein the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device includes a device which uses a non-ultrasound energy source.

5. The ultrasound medical system of claim 4, wherein the non-ultrasound energy source is chosen from the group consisting of a resistive heat energy source, a hot liquid energy source, a monopolar radio-frequency (RF) energy source, a bipolar radio-frequency (RF) energy source, a capacitive heat energy source, a microwave energy source, and combinations thereof.

6. The ultrasound medical system of claim 2, wherein the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device includes a device which releases a tissue-ablating chemical agent.

7. The ultrasound medical system of claim 6, wherein the tissue-ablating chemical agent is chosen from the group consisting of fibrin, alcohol, an acidic fluid, a chemotherapeutic agent, and combinations thereof.

8. The ultrasound medical system of claim 2, wherein the interstitial end effector has a length and an exterior surface and includes position markings on the exterior surface along at least a portion of its length.

9. The ultrasound medical system of claim 2, and wherein the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device includes an end-effector-tissue-track ablation device which is disposed proximate the distalmost end.

10. The ultrasound medical system of claim 2, wherein the interstitial end effector has a longitudinal axis, and wherein the interstitial end effector includes a tissue-ablating component adapted to ablate patient tissue longitudinally forward of the distalmost end.