Injectable thermal balls for tumor ablation
US6423056B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 23, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/1017
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of tumor ablation using injectable thermal-sensing balls. A catheter system (115) is used to inject a slurry (134) of thermal-sensing balls (136) into a tumor (122) located in, for example, a liver (120). The catheter system (115) comprises a catheter (128) and a specialized syringe (129) consisting of a housing (130) and a plunger (132). The housing (130) includes a cylindrical chamber having the slurry (134) of thermal-sensing balls (136). The catheter (128) is inserted retrograde into the femoral artery and passed to the site of the tumor (122). The hepatic artery (124) branches into smaller vessels, one of which is a tumor artery (126) which feeds the tumor (122). The tip of the catheter (128) is placed in the tumor artery (126) guided by conventional fluoroscopy. The injected balls (136) then receive energy from an external control system (110). The system (110) comprises a control panel (114) as an operator interface for controlling the system (110) and reading data therefrom. A CPU (112) is used for control and monitor of the operation, and transmits power and signals to the injected balls (136) via a radiating antenna (118), which energy is converted into heat to i…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.