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AssigneeGalil Medical Ltd.
InventorsEyal Kochavi, Amir Pansky, Yaron Hefetz
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for protecting walls of a body cavity during thermal ablation of tissues near that body cavity, while enabling ultrasound monitoring of the ablation process. Heating protective devices and cooling protective devices are provided. Heatable/coolable ultrasound probes and heatable/coolable independent protective devices compatible with ultrasound imaging by moving ultrasound probes are provided.
A device for facilitating ablation of tissues near a body cavity, comprising a flexible thermal conditioner insertable together with an ultrasound probe into said body cavity, wherein
A device for facilitating ablation of tissues near a body cavity, comprising a flexible sleeve insertable in said body cavity, said device comprises an internal lumen sized to accommodate an ultrasound probe inserted in said sleeve, wherein
A tissue protection device comprising a pouch having:
A sheath for protecting a first tissue during ablation of a second tissue, which second tissue is distant from said first tissue, comprising:
An insertion-blocking device insertable into a temperature-conditioning sheath sized to accommodate an ultrasound probe, said insertion-blocking device serving to distance a distal end of any such inserted probe from a distal end of any such sheath by at least 2 cm.
A system for protection of tissue of a body conduit during ablation of tissue near said body conduit, comprising:
A sleeve for warming a body cavity during treatment of body tissues near said body cavity, said sleeve comprising:
A sleeve for heating a body cavity sized to accommodate an ultrasound probe insertable into said sleeve, comprising a vent in a distal portion of said sleeve, said vent serving to facilitate venting of air trapped between an ultrasound probe and said sleeve when said probe is inserted into said sleeve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves: clinical applications
Specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive: monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters
Control of the diagnostic device: involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature
Term end not estimated
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for protecting the wall of a body cavity during thermal ablation of tissues near that body cavity, and in particular to warming the rectal wall adjacent to the prostate during prostatic cryoablation to minimize the risk of freezing and damage to the rectum.
During prostate cryotherapy, there is a need to provide efficient full prostate ablation while keeping other organs intact, in particular the urethra, neurovascular Bundle (NVB) and rectum wall.
The general need for accurately delimiting cryoablation, that is, for limiting tissue destruction (insofar as possible) to tissues which are the intended ablation target, is discussed in U.S. application No. 20050143723 entitled “Method for delimiting cryoablation by controlled cooling”, by Zvuloni, Roni; et al., filed on Jun. 30, 2005. This application discloses a systems and methods for planning and for facilitating a cryoablation procedure. Methods not involving heating are there provided for using a plurality of cryoprobes to generate a cold field of tailored size, shape, and intensity, for cryoablating a volume with sharply defined borders, thereby minimizing damage to healthy tissues adjacent to a cryoablation target.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.
In the drawings:
FIGS. 1a and 1b are simplified schematics of side and cross sectional views respectively of a rectal warming sleeve, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
The present invention is of devices and methods for protecting the wall of a body cavity during thermal ablation of tissues near that body cavity. In particular, the present invention relates to devices for heating or cooling a rectal wall during cryoablation of prostate tissues while enabling use of a rectal ultrasound probe to visualize the prostate area, the devices enabling free movement of the ultrasonic probe within the rectum during imaging, with continuous protection to rectal tissues.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The present invention is principally described in the following with reference to an exemplary context, namely that of protective heating of a rectal wall during cryosurgical treatment prostate tissue, and to ultrasound visualization of the target tissues by means of an ultrasound probe inserted in the rectum. It is to be understood that invention is not limited to that exemplary context. The invention is, in general, relevant to thermal protection of any tissues undergoing thermal treatment in proximity to an ultrasound probe used to visualize tissues. Thus, methods and devices of the present invention are relevant to treatment of the vagina, the esophagus, to treatment of additional locii adjacent to the rectal cavity, to treatment of external walls of a uterus etc. For example, one might use the devices presented here to warm the vagina and/or the rectum while treating posterior fibroids of the uterus, or cervical cancer.