Method for treating the thoracic region of a patient's body

• US 9,820,808 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avent Incorporated (Avanos Medical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avent Incorporated (Avanos Medical, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lefler, Amy, Godara, Neil, Harrison, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luan, Scott T.
• Application Number:
  US15/178,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20160278846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 128898, 606 20- 49, 607 88-104
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/148 having a short, rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously, e.g. for neurosurgery or arthroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1482 having a long rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously in minimal invasive surgery, e.g. laparoscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00023 closed, i.e. without wound contact by the fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00083 low, i.e. electrically insulating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00196 reciprocating lengthwise
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00434 Neural system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0044 Spinal cord
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00815 measured by a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00821 measured by a thermocouple
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1497 Electrodes covering only part of the probe circumference
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/002 Irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/007 Aspiration

Abstract

A method is disclosed for the treatment of a thoracic region of a patient'"'"'s body. Embodiments of the method comprise positioning an energy delivery portion of an electrosurgical device to face a segment of a thoracic vertebra at a distance from the segment; and cooling the energy delivery portion and delivering energy through the energy delivery portion.

Claims

1. A method of treating a thoracic region of a patient'"'"'s spine, the method comprising:

inserting a first electrosurgical device at a segment of a transverse process of a first thoracic vertebra;

moving the first electrosurgical device in a cranial direction until a distal tip of the first electrosurgical device slips over a superolateral aspect of the transverse process;

inserting a second electrosurgical device at a segment of a second thoracic vertebra adjacent to the first thoracic vertebra;

moving the second electrosurgical device in a caudal direction until a distal tip of the second electrosurgical device slips over a inferiolateral aspect of the transverse process; and

delivering energy between the first electrosurgical device and the second electrosurgical device in a bipolar manner while cooling the first electrosurgical device and the second electrosurgical device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling and the delivering energy cooperate to form a lesion between the first electrosurgical device and the second electrosurgical device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra comprises a centroid region of a transverse process.

4. A method of treating a nerve in the thoracic region of a patient'"'"'s body, the method comprising:

positioning a first energy delivery portion of a electrosurgical device so as to face a region where the nerve is likely to be found, at a distance from the region, the region being located distal to the first energy delivery portion and containing a transverse process of a first thoracic vertebra; and

moving the first energy delivery portion in a cranial direction until a distal tip of the first energy delivery portion slips over a superolateral aspect of the transverse process;

positioning a second energy delivery portion of the electrosurgical device at a segment of the region adjacent to the nerve;

moving the second energy delivery portion in a caudal direction until a distal tip of the second energy delivery portion slips over a inferiolateral aspect of the transverse process;

cooling the first and second energy delivery portions of the electrosurgical device and delivering energy from the first and second energy delivery portions to form a lesion at the nerve.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the cooling and the delivering energy cooperate to form a lesion at a location at least between the first and second energy delivery portions and the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the distance between the first and second energy delivery portions and the region is 0.5 mm to 4 mm, respectively.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the nerve innervates a thoracic facet joint of the patient'"'"'s body.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the nerve comprises a medial branch of a thoracic dorsal ramus nerve of the patient'"'"'s body.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and second energy delivery portions are positioned at a location in the region bounded by:

a superior margin of the transverse process,

an inferior margin of a superjacent transverse process,

an anterior margin of the transverse process and an anterior margin of the superjacent transverse process,

a posterior margin of a spinous process of the thoracic vertebra,

an inferior articular process of the thoracic vertebra and a superior articular process of a superjacent thoracic vertebra, and

a lateral margin of the transverse process and a lateral margin of the superjacent transverse process.