Methods and devices for applying energy to bodily tissues
First Claim
1. A medical device adapted to be coupled to a microwave energy source for applying microwave energy to tissue, the medical device comprising:
- a transmission line having a shielding element;
a microwave antenna configured to apply microwave energy to tissue, the antenna comprising a radiating member operatively coupled to the microwave energy source via the transmission line, an antenna dielectric and a shaping member electrically coupled to the shielding element, where the shaping member is electrically conductive; and
where the radiating member comprises a first profile such that application of microwave energy by the radiating member alone would result in a first-unshaped microwave energy field, and where the shaping element comprises a second profile such that the shaping element couples to the microwave energy to alter the first unshaped microwave energy field into a second shaped microwave energy field extending volumetrically around the antenna.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Devices and methods for treating tissue with microwave energy used in applications such as destroying a soft tissue by microwave ablation and/or creating point, line, area or volumetric lesions. Various embodiments of flexible, low-profile devices are also disclosed where such device can be inserted non-invasively or minimally invasively near or into the target tissue such as cardiac tissue. The devices disclosed herein comprise antennas wherein the field profile generated by an antenna is tailored and optimized for a particular clinical application. The antennas use unique properties of microwaves such as interaction of a microwave field with one or more conductive or non-conductive shaping elements to shape or redistribute the microwave field.
167 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A medical device adapted to be coupled to a microwave energy source for applying microwave energy to tissue, the medical device comprising:
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a transmission line having a shielding element; a microwave antenna configured to apply microwave energy to tissue, the antenna comprising a radiating member operatively coupled to the microwave energy source via the transmission line, an antenna dielectric and a shaping member electrically coupled to the shielding element, where the shaping member is electrically conductive; and where the radiating member comprises a first profile such that application of microwave energy by the radiating member alone would result in a first-unshaped microwave energy field, and where the shaping element comprises a second profile such that the shaping element couples to the microwave energy to alter the first unshaped microwave energy field into a second shaped microwave energy field extending volumetrically around the antenna. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of ablating tissue within a body region, the method comprising:
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inserting an antenna within the body region, where the antenna comprises a radiating member and a shaping member and a dielectric material, where the shaping member couples to the microwave energy to alter a microwave energy field generated by the radiating member to form a volumetric shaped microwave energy field that extends about the antenna and where the radiating member and shaping member each comprises a respective profile, where the profile of the radiating member and the profile of the shaping member are selected to form the volumetric shaped microwave energy field to approximate a volume of the body region; using the antenna to generate a volumetric shaped microwave energy field that extends about the antenna.
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33. The method of 32, further comprising advancing the antenna within a body cavity at the body region, where the volumetric shaped microwave energy field to ablates at least a portion of the cavity.
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34. The method of 32, further comprising ablating a surface of a wall defining a body cavity in a single application of microwave energy.
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35. A method of ablating a bodily tissue comprising:
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positioning an antenna in proximity to the bodily tissue wherein the antenna comprises a radiating member and shaping member such that the shaping member is electrically connected to a portion of the transmission line; and creating a first lesion to ablate a target tissue by generating a microwave field where the shaping member couples to the microwave field to alter the microwave field such that it surrounds the circumference of the antenna and is confined distal to the distal end of the transmission line.
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36. A method of delivering microwave energy by producing a shaped microwave field, the method comprising:
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deploying a microwave device comprising a transmission line and an antenna wherein the antenna comprises a radiating element and a shaping element; generating a first unshaped microwave field; deploying a shaping member in the vicinity of the radiating element, wherein the shaping member is electrically connected to a shielding element of the transmission line; positioning the shaping member close to the radiating element such that the shaping element couples to the microwave field to cause inducement of a leakage current on the shaping member resulting in the shaping member shaping the first unshaped microwave field to create a second shaped microwave field.
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Specification