Device for thermal treatment of tissue and for temperature measurement of tissue providing feedback

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9675821-B2
Application number	US-37481106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2006
Priority date	Mar 14, 2006
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A device for heating tissue, comprises a housing sized for insertion through a naturally occurring body orifice to a target location within a lumen and a heat generating element within the housing focusing thermal energy on a target area separated from an outside of the housing so that, when the housing is in the target location, the target area is within tissue surrounding the lumen at a predetermined depth from a lumenal wall in combination with a temperature sensing element sensing data corresponding to a temperature of tissue in the target area and a processor controlling the heat generating element in response to the data sensed by the sensing element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for heating tissue, comprising:
a housing sized for insertion through a naturally occurring body orifice to a target location within a lumen;
a heat generating element focusing thermal energy on a target area separated from an outside of the housing so that, when the housing is in the target location, the target area is within tissue surrounding the lumen at a predetermined depth from a lumenal wall wherein the heat generating element comprises an array of ultrasound transducers positioned within the housing and an acoustic reflector positioned over an outer surface of the housing and over the array of transducers, the acoustic reflector extending away from the housing in a first direction by a first predetermined distance toward the target area so that acoustic energy from the ultrasound transducers is focused away from the transducers in the first direction by a second predetermined distance greater than the first predetermined distance;
a temperature sensing element sensing data corresponding to a temperature of tissue in the target area; and
a processor controlling the heat generating element in response to the data sensed by the sensing element.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensing element comprises an ultrasound listening transducer.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor includes a temperature acquisition module computing target tissue temperature based on the data sensed by the temperature sensing element.

4. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an RF generator controlled by the processor to power the heat generating element.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a sonolucent dome enclosing the array of ultrasound transducers.

6. The device according to claim 5 , further comprising an acoustic coupler fluid within the sonolucent dome.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensing element comprises a thermocouple adapted for deployment from the housing into the target area.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein a diameter of the thermocouple is no more than approximately 0.02 inches.

9. The device according to claim 7 , further comprising a tube through which the thermocouple extends, the tube being shaped so that, upon deployment of the thermocouple, a distal end of the thermocouple is directed to the target area.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the heat generating element comprises at least one of a microwave generator, a laser generator and a radio-frequency generator.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensing element comprises at least one of an imaging ultrasound transducer, an infrared optical imaging element, and a fluoroptic probe.

12. A device for treating urinary incontinence, comprising:
a probe insertable into a vaginal canal, the probe comprising an energy delivery element including an acoustic reflector positioned over an outer wall of the probe and extending away from the probe in a first direction by a first predetermined distance toward a target portion of an endopelvic fascia of the patient so that acoustic energy from the energy delivery element is focused away from the probe in the first direction by a second predetermined distance greater than the first predetermined distance and a temperature measuring element generating a signal corresponding to a temperature of the target portion of the endopelvic fascia; and
a processor varying an intensity of energy delivered by the energy delivery element to maintain a temperature of the target portion of the endopelvic fascia within a predetermined range.

13. The device according to claim 12 , further comprising a temperature acquisition module of the electronic processor adapted to compute the temperature of the endopelvic fascia from the signal of the temperature measuring element.

14. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the energy delivery element comprises an array of high intensity ultrasound transducers.

15. The device according to claim 14 , further comprising a sonolucent dome enclosing the ultrasound transducers and an acoustic coupling fluid therein.

16. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the temperature measuring element comprises an acoustic listening transducer.

17. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the temperature measuring element comprises a thermocouple and a deploying mechanism for advancing the thermocouple into the target portion of the endopelvic fascia.

18. The device according to claim 17 , wherein a diameter of the thermocouple is no greater than approximately 0.02 inches.

19. The device according to claim 17 , wherein the deploying mechanism includes a tube extending within which the thermocouple is received, the tube being shaped so that, when the probe is in the desired location, one of advancing the tube distally relative to the probe and advancing the thermocouple distally relative to the tube guides the thermocouple to the target portion of the endopelvic fascia.

20. The device according to claim 19 , wherein the tube is formed of one of stainless steel, nitinol and polyimide.

21. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the array of transducers are arranged to form a cavity along an outer surface of the housing, the cavity being configured to house an acoustic coupling fluid therein.

Assignees

• Ostrovsky Isaac
• Shukhat Victor
• Intoccia Alfred P
• Mcintyre Jon T
• Fairneny Ty
• Boston Scient Scimed Inc

Inventors

• Ostrovsky Isaac
• Shukhat Victor
• Intoccia Alfred P
• Mcintyre Jon T
• Fairneny Ty

Classifications

• A61B2090/378

  using ultrasound · CPC title

• A61B2017/00084

  Temperature · CPC title

• A61N7/022 Primary

  intracavitary · CPC title

• A61N2007/0078

  with multiple treatment transducers · CPC title