Surgical testing instrument and system

An instrument for measuring the dielectric properties of material, the instrument comprising:

• a top electrode assembly and a bottom electrode assembly, the top electrode assembly including a top electrode and at least one shaft adjustably positionable to move the top electrode relative to the bottom electrode assembly, the bottom electrode assembly including a bottom electrode;
• a testing cylinder coupled to the shaft and having an inner cavity defined therein that houses the top electrode and which is designed to enclose the bottom electrode therein, the testing cylinder being configured to reduce at least one of electric and magnetic currents during activation of the top and bottom electrodes;
• and
• wherein the testing cylinder includes concentric outer and inner cylinders, the outer cylinder defining the internal cavity and the inner cylinder being formed from an insulative material that reduces at least one of electric and magnetic currents during activation for measuring the dielectric properties of material.

A system for measuring the dielectric properties of biological tissue, the system comprising:

• an analyzer configured to measure the properties of the biological tissue;
• a top electrode assembly and a bottom electrode assembly, the top electrode assembly including a top electrode and at least one shaft adjustably positionable to move the top electrode relative to the bottom electrode assembly, the bottom electrode assembly including a testing plate for receiving the biological tissue thereon and a bottom electrode;
• wherein the testing plate includes a selectively conformable insert cavity therein, the testing plate being disposed between the top electrode assembly and the bottom electrode assembly;
• a testing cylinder coupled to the shaft and having an inner cavity defined therein that houses the top electrode and which is designed to enclose the bottom electrode therein, the testing cylinder being configured to reduce at least one of electric and magnetic currents during activation of the top and bottom electrodes;
• and
• a graphical user interface configured to control the analyzer.

A system for measuring the dielectric properties of biological tissue, the system comprising:

• a top electrode assembly and a bottom electrode assembly, the top electrode assembly including a top electrode and at least one shaft adjustably positionable to move the top electrode relative to the bottom electrode assembly, the bottom electrode assembly including a testing plate configured to receive the tissue and a bottom electrode;
• wherein the testing plate includes a selectively conformable insert cavity therein, the testing plate being disposed between the top electrode assembly and the bottom electrode assembly;
• a testing cylinder coupled to the shaft and having an inner cavity defined therein that houses the top electrode and which is designed to enclose the bottom electrode therein, the testing cylinder being configured to reduce at least one of electric and magnetic currents during activation of the top and bottom electrodes;
• a high frequency electrosurgical generator configured to supply high frequency electrical energy to the tissue through at least one of the top electrode and the bottom electrode;
• and
• an analyzer configured to measure the properties of biological tissue in response to high frequency electrical energy.

A method for measuring the dielectric properties of biological tissue comprising the steps of:

• providing a top electrode assembly and a bottom electrode assembly, the top electrode assembly including a top electrode and at least one shaft adjustably positionable to move the top electrode relative to the bottom electrode assembly, the bottom electrode assembly including a testing plate for receiving the biological tissue thereon and a bottom electrode;
• wherein the testing plate includes a selectively conformable insert cavity therein, the testing plate being disposed between the top electrode assembly and the bottom electrode assembly;
• coupling a testing cylinder to the shaft, the testing cylinder having an inner cavity defined therein that houses the top electrode and which is designed to enclose the bottom electrode therein, the testing cylinder being configured to reduce at least one of electric and magnetic currents during activation of the top and bottom electrodes;
• and
• connecting an analyzer to the top electrode assembly and the bottom electrode assembly, the analyzer being configured to measure and analyze the dielectric properties of biological tissue.

A method for measuring the dielectric properties of biological tissue comprising the steps of:

• providing a top electrode assembly, a bottom electrode assembly and a testing plate, the top electrode assembly including a top electrode and at least one shaft adjustably positionable to move the top electrode relative to the bottom electrode assembly, the bottom electrode assembly including a bottom electrode, and the testing plate being disposed between the top electrode assembly and a bottom electrode assembly and including a selectively conformable insert cavity therein;
• inserting a tissue sample into the selectively conformable insert cavity and forming the tissue sample by cutting any excess tissue to fit the tissue sample into the insert cavity;
• and
• coupling a testing cylinder to the shaft, the testing cylinder having an inner cavity defined therein that houses the top electrode and which is designed to enclose the bottom electrode therein, the testing cylinder being configured to reduce at least one of electric and magnetic currents during activation of the top and bottom electrodes.

A system for measuring the dielectric properties of material, the system comprising:

• a top electrode assembly and a bottom electrode assembly, the top electrode assembly including a top electrode and at least one shaft adjustably positionable to move the top electrode relative to the bottom electrode assembly, the bottom electrode assembly including a testing plate configured to receive the material and a bottom electrode;
• wherein the testing plate includes a selectively conformable insert cavity therein, the testing plate being disposed between the top electrode assembly and the bottom electrode assembly;
• a testing cylinder coupled to the shaft and having an inner cavity defined therein that houses the top electrode and which is designed to enclose the bottom electrode therein, the testing cylinder being configured to reduce at least one of electric and magnetic currents during activation of the top and bottom electrodes;
• and
• an analyzer configured to measure the properties of the material, the analyzer including a generator configured to supply electrical energy to the material through at least one of the top electrode and the bottom electrode, wherein the analyzer is connected to the top electrode assembly, the bottom electrode assembly and the testing cylinder through a plurality of cables each having a wire, a shield and an insulator therebetween, the wires being connected to the top electrode and the bottom electrode and the shield being connected to the testing cylinder.