Method of treating an intraosseous nerve

• US RE46,356 E1
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Relievant Medsystems, Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Relievant Medsystems, Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Papineau, Paula, Pellegrino, Richard, Crombie, John S., Patel, Samit, Ryan, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US13/541,591
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 606 41- 49, 607 96, 607 98-101, 128898
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00083 low, i.e. electrically insulating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00434 Neural system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0044 Spinal cord

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of straddling an intraosseous nerve with an energy transmitting device to improve the therapeutic treatment of the nerve.

Claims

1. A method of therapeutically treating a vertebral body having an outer cortical bone region, an inner cancellous bone region, and a basivertebral nerve BVN, comprising the steps of:

providing a probe configured to deploy an energy device having an a first electrode;

the probe comprising a longitudinal bore extending from a proximal end of the probe toward a distal end of the probe;

the probe comprising a recess in communication with said bore, said recess forming a lateral opening at or near the distal end of the probe;

the probe further comprising a pivotable member;

the pivotable member having a fixed end pivotably secured to the probe at a distal location within the recess of the probe, and a free end configured to be seated in said recess, and a second electrode;

wherein the pivotable member comprises an undeployed mode where the free end extends proximally from the fixed end within said recess, and a deployed mode where the free end is configured to pivot about said fixed end and extend outward from said probe;

articulating the pivotable member from the undeployed mode to the deployed mode to facilitate delivery of the energy device second electrode along a path associated with the free end of the pivotable member into the cancellous bone region of the vertebral body; and

applying a sufficiently high frequency voltage to difference between the first electrode and the second electrode to generate a current therebetween to therapeutically heat the BVN.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, the BVN having a trunk extending from the outer cortical bone region and into the inner cancellous bone region and branches extending from the trunk to define a BVN junction, wherein therapeutically heating the BVN comprises:

depositing therapeutic energy within the inner cancellous bone region of the vertebral body.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the therapeutic energy is deposited in a region of the vertebral body located between 60% and 90% of the distance between the posterior and anterior ends of the vertebral body.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said therapeutic energy is deposited in a region of the vertebral body located between 60% and 90% of the distance from the anterior wall to the posterior wall of the vertebral body.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said therapeutic energy deposited includes a region that is proximal of the BVN junction.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said therapeutic energy is deposited within a region that is at least 1 cm in diameter.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said therapeutic energy deposited comprises a steady-state heated zone having a peak temperature of between 80 degrees C. and 95 degrees C.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said steady-state heated zone heats at least 1 cc of bone to a temperature of at least 50 degrees C.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the method is performed to treat pain in a patient diagnosed with pain.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed to treat pain in a patient diagnosed with pain.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the pivotable member in the undeployed mode is entirely contained within said recess.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein articulating the pivotable member from the undeployed mode to the deployed mode comprises advancing a member distally along said bore to push the free end of the of the pivotable member laterally out the recess.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the free end of the pivotable member deploys pivotably outward from the recess into the cancellous bone region.