System for simultaneous unipolar multi-electrode ablation

A medical apparatus for treatment by radiofrequency (RF) ablation of tissue, said apparatus comprising:

• an RF energy generator;
• one or more probes each comprising a plurality of separate electrodes and corresponding temperature sensors for sensing the temperature of said electrodes, each temperature sensor connected to a respective one of said plurality of electrodes;
• a splitter for splitting said RF energy provided by said RF energy generator, said splitter having a plurality of separate channels, wherein each of said electrodes is coupled to a respective one of said plurality of channels;
• and
• a programmable controller coupled to said RF splitter for independently controlling the ablation of tissue at each electrode using closed loop feedback of the temperature of said electrode, whereby the amount of said RF energy delivered to each electrode is independently regulated by said programmable controller.

A radio frequency (RF) energy splitter for use with one or more probes in a system for RF ablation of tissue, each probe comprising a plurality of separate electrodes and corresponding temperature sensors for sensing the temperature of said electrode, said splitter comprising:

• input means for receiving RF energy from an RF energy generator;
• a plurality of channel modules for separately delivering RF energy from said input means to a respective electrode of said plurality of electrodes of said one or more probes, each channel module comprising:
• means for variably adjusting an amount of said RF energy delivered to said respective electrode in response to a control signal, said variable adjusting means being coupled between said input means and said respective electrode;
• means for interrupting said RF energy delivered to said respective electrode;
• output means coupled to said respective temperature sensor for providing a temperature signal;
• means for determining if said temperature at said respective electrode exceeds a predetermined threshold and actuating said interrupting means if said threshold is exceeded, whereby said RF energy is interrupted from delivery to said respective electrode;
• wherein each channel module is capable of receiving said respective control signal from and providing said respective temperature signal to a programmable controller so that the amount of said RF energy delivered to each electrode can be independently regulated using closed loop feedback of the temperature of each electrode.

A method for ablating tissue, comprising the steps of:

• generating RF energy;
• providing probe means comprising N separate electrodes, each having a corresponding means for sensing temperature of said electrode;
• sensing the temperature of each electrode using said temperature sensing means of said electrode;
• splitting said RF energy to said probe means into N separate channels each being coupled to a corresponding one of said N electrodes and said temperature sensing means;
• and
• controlling the splitting of said RF energy to said probe means, whereby the ablation of tissue at each electrode is independently controlled using closed loop feedback of the measured temperature of said electrode by independently regulating the amount of said RF energy delivered to each electrode.

A method for treatment by radiofrequency (RP) ablation of tissue, said method comprising the steps of:

• generating RF energy;
• providing one or more probes each comprising a plurality of separate electrodes and corresponding temperature sensors, each temperature sensor connected to a respective one of said plurality of electrodes;
• measuring the temperature of each electrode using said respective temperature sensor;
• splitting said RF energy into a plurality of separate channels, wherein each of said electrodes is coupled to a respective one of said plurality of channels;
• and
• programmably controlling the splitting of said RF energy so as to independently control the ablation of tissue at each electrode using closed loop feedback of the measured temperature of said electrode, whereby the amount of said RF energy delivered to each electrode is independently regulated.

A method of splitting radio frequency (RF) energy delivered to one or more probes in a system for RF ablation of tissue, each probe comprising a plurality of separate electrodes and corresponding temperature sensors for sensing the temperature of said electrode, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving RP energy from an RF energy generator;
• providing a plurality of channel modules for separately delivering said RF energy to a respective electrode of said plurality of electrodes of said one or more probes, further comprising, for each channel module, the sub-steps of:
• variably adjusting an amount of said RF energy delivered to said respective electrode in response to a control signal;
• measuring the temperature of said respective electrode using said corresponding temperature sensor to provide a temperature signal;
• determining if said temperature at said respective electrode exceeds a predetermined threshold and interrupting delivery of said RF energy to said respective electrode if said threshold is exceeded;
• wherein each channel module is capable of receiving said respective control signal from and providing said respective temperature signal to a programmable controller so that the amount of said RF energy delivered to each electrode can be independently regulated using closed loop feedback of the temperature of each electrode.