Systems and methods for thermal therapy
AssigneeVisualase, Inc.
InventorsAshok Gowda, Roger J. McNichols
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for thermal therapy, especially to detection-guided, -controlled, and temperature-modulated interstitial thermal therapy. Thermal therapy may be used to treat the tissues of a patient. In the case of interstitial thermal therapy, energy is applied to generate heating of the tissue to affect treatment, such as, for example, thermally inducing tissue damage (e.g. thermally-induced tissue necrosis), which may be useful in treating tumors and/or other diseased tissues. Since targets for thermal therapy are internal to the patient, the use of detection guidance may be useful in locating and monitoring treatment of a target tissue.
Claims8
A method for thermal therapy, comprising:
- a) receiving spatially resolvable temperature sensitive data from at least one detection device at a control system, said detection device interrogating a target with radiation to generate said data;
- b) determining at least one energy delivery characteristic of at least one treatment device based at least in part on said data using said control system;
- c) modulating said at least one treatment device using at least said energy delivery characteristic;
- and
- repeating steps a-c to substantially affect a preselected characteristic of said target;
- d) guiding the at least one treatment device to the target with a guide having at least one first fiducial marker for identifying a position and orientation of the guide;
- and
- e) adjusting an extension member extending from the guide to vary an angle between the extension plate member and the guide, wherein the extension member includes at least one second fiducial marker attached thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.