Urethral inserted applicator for prostate hyperthermia

A system for heating the prostate gland, comprising:

• a flexible urinary catheter having substantially tubular shape and an insertion end for insertion through the urethral passage and bladder neck into the bladder, said catheter providing a fluid drainage means to remove fluid filling the bladder;
• balloon means mounted on the urinary catheter near the insertion end and adapted to be inserted into the bladder with the insertion end of the urinary catheter;
• means for inflating the balloon means after insertion of the balloon means into the bladder, whereby the inflated balloon means will seat in the bladder neck to thereby hold the inserted urinary catheter in fixed position in the urethral passage;
• a plurality of applicator receiving passages each sized to removably receive an electromagnetic energy applicator therein, said applicator receiving passages extending along the length of the urinary catheter a predetermined distance toward the insertion end thereof so that with the insertion end of the urinary catheter in the bladder, the balloon means inflated, and the urinary catheter fixed in place in the bladder, said applicator receiving passages extend substantially through the prostate gland whereby an electromagnetic energy applicator inserted into an applicator receiving passage can be positioned in the applicator receiving passage within the prostate gland so that electromagnetic energy applied by the applicator will cause heating of the prostate tissue surrounding the applicator;
• a plurality of electromagnetic energy applicators, an electromagnetic energy applicator of the plurality of electromagnetic energy applicators being inserted into each of the respective applicator receiving passages of the plurality of applicator receiving passages;
• an electromagnetic energy generator operatively coupled to the plurality of electromagnetic energy applicators for supplying electromagnetic energy to the applicators;
• temperature sensor means for sensing the temperature of a selected portion of the prostate gland during heating and producing output signals representative of the temperature sensed;
• temperature setting means for providing a reference signal representative of the desired temperature to which the prostate gland is to be heated;
• and
• control means for comparing the signal representative of the temperature sensed and the reference signal and providing a control signal to the electromagnetic energy generator to control the electromagnetic energy supplied by the generator to the applicators to maintain the temperature of the prostate tissue surrounding the applicators substantially at the desired temperature.

A system for heating the prostate gland, comprising:

• a flexible urinary catheter having substantially tubular shape and an insertion end for insertion through the urethral passage and bladder neck into the bladder, said catheter providing a fluid drainage means to remove fluid filling the bladder;
• balloon means mounted on the urinary catheter near the insertion end and adapted to be inserted into the bladder with the insertion end of the urinary catheter;
• means for inflating the balloon means after insertion of the balloon means into the bladder, whereby the inflated balloon means will seat in the bladder neck to thereby hold the inserted urinary catheter in fixed position in the urethral passage;
• at least one applicator receiving passage sized to receive an electromagnetic energy applicator therein, said at least one applicator receiving passage extending along the length of the urinary catheter a predetermined distance toward the insertion end thereof so that with the insertion end of the urinary catheter in the bladder, the balloon means inflated, and the urinary catheter fixed in place in the bladder, said at least one applicator receiving passage extends substantially through the prostate gland whereby an electromagnetic energy applicator inserted into the applicator receiving passage can be positioned in the applicator receiving passage within the prostate gland so that electromagnetic energy applied by the applicator will cause heating of the prostate tissue surrounding the applicator;
• at least one electromagnetic energy applicator inserted into the at least one applicator receiving passage;
• an electromagnetic energy generator operatively coupled to the at least one electromagnetic energy applicator for supplying electromagnetic energy to the at least one applicator;
• temperature sensor means for sensing the temperature of the prostate gland during heating and producing output signals representative of the temperature sensed;
• temperature setting means for providing a reference signal representative of the desired temperature to which the prostate gland is to be heated;
• and
• control means for comparing the signal representative of the temperature sensed and the reference signal and providing a control signal to the electromagnetic energy generator to control the electromagnetic energy supplied by the generator to the at least one applicator to maintain the temperature of the prostate tissue surrounding the at least one applicator substantially at the desired temperature.