Methods for therapeutic renal neuromodulation
First Claim
1. A method for treating a human patient with a diagnosed condition or disease associated with cardio-renal function, the method comprising:
- positioning an energy element within a renal artery of the patient and proximate post-ganglionic neural fibers innervating a kidney of the patient; and
at least partially ablating the neural fibers of the patient via the energy element,wherein at least partially ablating the neural fibers results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in blood pressure of the patient.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are provided for treating hypertension, e.g., via a pulsed electric field, via a stimulation electric field, via localized drug delivery, via high frequency ultrasound, via thermal techniques, etc. Such neuromodulation may effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, action potential attenuation or blockade, changes in cytokine up-regulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, neuromodulation is applied to neural fibers that contribute to renal function. In some embodiments, such neuromodulation is performed in a bilateral fashion. Bilateral renal neuromodulation may provide enhanced therapeutic effect in some patients as compared to renal neuromodulation performed unilaterally, i.e., as compared to renal neuromodulation performed on neural tissue innervating a single kidney.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for treating a human patient with a diagnosed condition or disease associated with cardio-renal function, the method comprising:
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positioning an energy element within a renal artery of the patient and proximate post-ganglionic neural fibers innervating a kidney of the patient; and at least partially ablating the neural fibers of the patient via the energy element, wherein at least partially ablating the neural fibers results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in blood pressure of the patient.
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2. A method for therapeutic renal denervation of a human patient having a diagnosed condition or disease associated with central sympathetic overactivity, the method comprising:
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positioning a thermal element within a renal artery of the patient and adjacent to post-ganglionic neural fibers innervating a kidney of the patient; and at least partially ablating the neural fibers of the patient via the thermal element, wherein at least partially ablating the neural fibers results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in central sympathetic overactivity of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (3)
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4. A method for treating a human patient with a diagnosed condition or disease associated with cardio-renal function, the method comprising:
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intravascularly positioning a nerve modulation device within a renal artery of the patient and in vicinity of post-ganglionic neural fibers that innervate a kidney of the patient; and reducing neural communication to and from the kidney by at least partially ablating the neural fibers of the patient via energy from the nerve modulation device, wherein reducing neural communication to and from the kidney results in improved cardio-renal function of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for therapeutic renal denervation of a human patient having a diagnosed condition or disease associated with central sympathetic overactivity, the method comprising:
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positioning a thermal element within a renal artery of the patient and adjacent to post-ganglionic neural fibers innervating a kidney of the patient; and at least partially ablating the neural fibers of the patient via energy from the thermal element, wherein at least partially ablating the neural fibers results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in central sympathetic overactivity of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A method for catheter-based renal denervation, the method comprising:
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intravascularly positioning a catheter having an electrode within a renal artery of a human patient; ablating nerves that innervate a kidney of the patient via radio frequency (RF) energy from the electrode, wherein ablating the nerves results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in central sympathetic overactivity in the patient; and removing the catheter from the patient after ablating the nerves. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification