Patent · US Expired

Electrosurgery system

US6398781B1 · kind B1 · utility

1,695Cited by
3References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 6, 2000
Grant dateJun 4, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 6, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B2018/1213
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An electrosurgery system has an electrosurgical generator operable to generate electrosurgical power at a frequency in the UHF band (typically 2.45 GHz), a feed structure, and an electrode assembly for delivering the electrosurgical power to tissue to be cut. The electrode assembly has an elongate active electrode which, at the operating frequency, is &lgr;/8 in length (&lgr; being the wavelength in air) and has an active surface area of less than 30 square millimeters. A return electrode set back proximally from the active electrode is arranged so as to be capacitively coupled to tissue adjacent the active electrode and is isolated from the feed structure in respect of unbalanced currents. Tissue cutting occurs due to thermal dissipation of UHF power in the tissue substantially without arcing, resulting from the lossy dielectric behavior of the tissue.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.