Non-invasive and minimally invasive denervation methods and systems for performing the same
First Claim
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1. A method for denervating a bronchial tree of a subject, comprising:
- moving an energy emitter positioned at a distal section of an instrument through the subject'"'"'s skin;
wrapping the distal section around an airway of the bronchial tree to position the energy emitter with respect to nerve tissue along the airway of the bronchial tree;
damaging the nerve tissue using energy from the energy emitter while the energy emitter is positioned outside of the airway; and
removing the instrument from the subject without severing the entire airway.
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Abstract
A system and method can be used to denervate at least a portion of a bronchial tree. An energy emitter of an instrument is percutaneously delivered to a treatment site and outputs energy to damage nerve tissue of the bronchial tree. The denervation procedure can be performed without damaging non-targeted tissue. Minimally invasive methods can be used to open airways to improve lung function in subjects with COPD, asthma, or the like. Different sections of the bronchial tree can be denervated while leaving airways intact to reduce recovery times.
1448 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for denervating a bronchial tree of a subject, comprising:
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moving an energy emitter positioned at a distal section of an instrument through the subject'"'"'s skin; wrapping the distal section around an airway of the bronchial tree to position the energy emitter with respect to nerve tissue along the airway of the bronchial tree; damaging the nerve tissue using energy from the energy emitter while the energy emitter is positioned outside of the airway; and removing the instrument from the subject without severing the entire airway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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percutaneously delivering a distal section of an instrument through a subject'"'"'s skin and wrapping the distal section of the instrument around an airway of a bronchial tree of the subject such that the distal section is positioned to damage nerve tissue of the bronchial tree; and denervating a first portion of the bronchial tree using the instrument to substantially inhibit nervous system signals from traveling to a second portion of the bronchial tree. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification