Method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia with thermal therapy

A method for treating an individual with prostatic tissue disease, the method comprising:

• inserting a catheter within a urethra to position a microwave antenna located within the catheter adjacent to a prostate surrounding the urethra;
• circulating a fluid within the catheter to cool the urethra;
• and
• applying power to the microwave antenna continuously within a power range and for a time period sufficient to substantially destroy a volume of tissue within the prostate up to at least 1.8 centimeters from the wall of the urethra while cooling the urethra during the application of power and while maintaining a temperature of the rectum below 42.degree. C.

A method for treating an individual with prostatic tissue disease, the method comprising:

• inserting a catheter within a urethra to position a microwave antenna located within the catheter adjacent to a prostate surrounding the urethra;
• cooling the urethra with the catheter;
• applying power in increasing levels to the microwave antenna until predetermined criteria are met while continuing to cool the urethra;
• and
• maintaining power applied to the microwave antenna within a desired power range which causes heating within the prostate to a temperature of at least 45.degree. C. up to at least 2 centimeters from the wall of the urethra for a time sufficient to necrose prostatic tissue while continuing to cool the urethra to prevent necrosis of the urethra.

A method for treating an individual with benign prostatic hyperplasia, the method comprising:

• inserting a catheter into a urethra to position a microwave antenna located within the catheter adjacent to a prostate surrounding the urethra;
• cooling the urethra with the catheter;
• applying power in increasing levels to the microwave antenna until predetermined criteria are met while continuing to cool the urethra;
• maintaining power applied to the microwave antenna within a range which causes substantially continuous heating of tissue within the prostate to a temperature of at least 45.degree. C. at a distance of at least 2 centimeters from the urethra while continuing to cool the urethra;
• and
• cooling the urethra after discontinuing power.

A method for treating an individual with benign prostatic hyperplasia, the method comprising:

• measuring a temperature of a rectum;
• inserting a catheter into a urethra to position a microwave antenna located within the catheter adjacent to a prostate surrounding the urethra;
• cooling the urethra with the catheter to maintain the urethra at a non-necrotic temperature;
• applying power in a microwave frequency range to the microwave antenna until an urethral catheter temperature is within a predetermined range so that a portion of the prostate surrounding the microwave antenna reaches a temperature of at least 45.degree. C. at a distance of up to 2 centimeters from the urethra;
• adjusting the power level to continuously maintain the catheter temperature within the predetermined temperature range for a predetermined period of time and to maintain the rectal temperature below a predetermined temperature so that the portion of the prostate is maintained at a substantially continuous temperature of at least 45.degree. C. at a distance of up to 2 centimeters from the urethra for a time sufficient to necrose the portion of the prostate;
• decreasing the power applied to the microwave antenna to zero watts;
• and
• cooling the urethra with the catheter after decreasing the power.

A method for treating an individual with benign prostatic hyperplasia, the method comprising:

• inserting a thermal sensing device into a rectum of the patient measuring a rectal temperature;
• inserting a catheter into a urethra to position a microwave antenna located within the catheter adjacent to a prostate surrounding the urethra;
• circulating a fluid within the catheter between the microwave antenna and the urethra wherein the fluid stabilizes at a temperature of less than 10.degree. C. to maintain the urethra adjacent the antenna at a temperature below 45.degree. C.;
• measuring a temperature of the urethral catheter with a thermosensing device positioned within the urethral catheter adjacent the prostate;
• driving the microwave antenna at a signal in the range of 902 to 928 MHz and a power of 10 watts to apply a MW emission to a portion of the prostate surrounding the urethral catheter, the MW emission causing molecular excitation of the portion of the prostate surrounding the microwave antenna;
• increasing the drive signal applied to the microwave antenna in increments of five watts every two minutes until at least one of the following conditions is achieved:
• the urethral catheter temperature is at least 35.degree. C.;
• and the rectal catheter temperature is about 40.degree. C.;
• increasing the drive signal in increments of 1 watts per minute until the urethral catheter temperature is within 1.degree. C. of 40.degree. C. so that the portion of the prostate surrounding the microwave antenna reaches a temperature of at least 45.degree. C.;
• adjusting the drive signal in one watt increments per minute to maintain the urethral catheter temperature within 1.degree. C. of 40.degree. C. and maintaining the drive signal at this level for at least 45.degree. C. up to 60 minutes from the time the urethral catheter temperature first reaches 37.degree. C. so that the portion of the prostate is necrosed by being maintained continuously at a temperature of at least 45.degree. C. at distances of at least 2 centimeters from the urethra within the prostate along the length of the microwave antenna;
• decreasing the drive signal in increments of one watt per minute if the rectal temperature reaches 42.degree. C. until the rectal temperature is less than 42.degree. C. and then increasing the drive signal in increments of one watt per minute until the urethral catheter temperature is within 1.degree. C. of 40.degree. C. and the rectal catheter temperature is less than 42.degree. C.;
• decreasing the drive signal to a power level of zero watts;
• and
• maintaining circulation of fluid within the urethral catheter between the microwave antenna and the urethra at a temperature of 10.degree. C. or less for at least ten minutes after discontinuing power applied to the microwave antenna.

A method for treating an individual with prostatic tissue disease, the method comprising:

• inserting a catheter within a urethra to position a microwave antenna located within the catheter adjacent to a prostate surrounding the urethra;
• circulating a fluid within the catheter to cool the urethra;
• and
• applying power to the microwave antenna within a power range without discontinuing power and for a time period sufficient to cause necrosis of tissue within the prostate at a distance of at least 1.8 centimeters from the urethra while preventing necrosis of the urethra by cooling the urethra during the application of power.

A method for treating an individual with prostatic tissue disease, the method comprising:

• inserting a catheter within a urethra to position a microwave antenna located within the catheter adjacent to a prostate surrounding the urethra;
• circulating a fluid between the microwave antenna and the urethra;
• and
• applying power continuously to the microwave antenna within a power range and for a time period sufficient to destroy substantially an entire volume of tissue within the prostate up to a distance of at least 1.8 centimeters from a wall of the urethra while cooling the urethra during the application of power.