Methods for treating airways
First Claim
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1. In a patient diagnosed with asthma, a method of treating airways in a lung of the patient to decrease symptoms of the asthma, the method comprising:
- stimulating an airway in the lung;
after stimulating the airway, measuring a parameter of the airway at a plurality of locations in the lung;
identifying a plurality of treatment sites from the plurality of locations based on the measured parameter at the plurality of locations;
inserting an instrument into the lung; and
applying thermal energy to the identified treatment sites via the instrument to reduce the resistance to airflow at the identified treatment sites.
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Abstract
This relates to a method of treating airways in a lung to decrease asthmatic symptoms. The method also includes steps of measuring a parameter of an airway at a plurality of locations in a lung, identifying at least one treatment site from at least one of the plurality of locations based on the parameter, and applying energy to the treatment site to reduce the ability of the site to narrow.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. In a patient diagnosed with asthma, a method of treating airways in a lung of the patient to decrease symptoms of the asthma, the method comprising:
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stimulating an airway in the lung; after stimulating the airway, measuring a parameter of the airway at a plurality of locations in the lung; identifying a plurality of treatment sites from the plurality of locations based on the measured parameter at the plurality of locations; inserting an instrument into the lung; and applying thermal energy to the identified treatment sites via the instrument to reduce the resistance to airflow at the identified treatment sites. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In a patient diagnosed with asthma, a method of treating airways in a lung of the patient to decrease symptoms of the asthma, the method comprising:
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stimulating an airway in the lung; after stimulating the airway, measuring a parameter of the airway at a plurality of locations in the lung; identifying a plurality of treatment sites from the plurality of locations based on the measured parameter at the plurality of locations; inserting an instrument into the lung; and applying energy to the identified treatment sites to reduce the ability of the identified treatment sites to narrow by actuating the instrument multiple times as the instrument is moved along each identified treatment site to deliver energy along the length of each identified treatment site such that a repeating pattern of treatment segments extends along the length of each identified treatment site.
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Specification