Disclosed herein are devices, systems, and methods for monitoring a formation of an iceball at a cryoablation needle. An example method includes receiving an impedance from at least one electrode in an electrode arrangement that is disposed at a cryoablation needle distal portion. The electrode arrangement is configured to engage the iceball as the iceball is formed over the cryoablation needle distal portion so as to cause a change in the impedance. The example method includes determining one or more physical attributes of the iceball based on a rate of the change in the impedance.

A method includes cutting a septal wall between a right atrium and left atrium of a heart of a patient to form a multi-cuspid valvular shunt, and ablating septal wall tissue of at least a portion of the multi-cuspid valvular shunt to cause the ablated portion of the multi-cuspid valvular shunt to be biostable.

A system for controlling operation of a radiofrequency treatment device to apply radiofrequency energy to tissue to heat tissue to create lesions without ablating the tissue. The system includes a first treatment device having at least one electrode for applying radiofrequency energy to tissue, a controller including a connector to which a first treatment device is coupled for use, and a generator for applying radiofrequency energy to the electrodes. The controller controls application of energy so that the tissue is thermally treated to create lesions but preventing thermal treatment beyond a threshold which would ablate the tissue.

Methods for treating and managing pain in a patient with therapeutic neuromodulation and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. Chronic or debilitating pain can be associated, for example, with a disease or condition of the abdominal or reproductive viscera. One aspect of the present technology is directed to methods that at least partially inhibit sympathetic neural activity in nerves proximate a target blood vessel of a diseased or damaged organ of a patient experiencing pain. Targeted sympathetic nerve activity can be modulated at least along afferent pathways which can improve a measurable parameter associated with the pain of the patient The modulation can be achieved, for example, using an intravascularly positioned catheter carrying a therapeutic assembly, e.g., a therapeutic assembly configured to use electrically-induced, thermally-induced, and/or chemically-induced approaches to modulate the target sympathetic nerve.

A cryosurgical instrument includes a feed line for conveying fluid into an expansion chamber. The feed line has a capillary line section that terminates in the expansion chamber and forms an aperture for the fluid to undergo the Joule-Thomson effect. The flow cross-section of the feed line decreases in at least one transition section of the feed line in the form of a funnel. Following each transition section there preferably follows a step section, in which latter section the flow cross-section is preferably largely constant. The last step section is preferably formed by the capillary line section. Due to the acceleration of the fluid in the transition sections and the abating of pressure fluctuations in the capillary tube section and, optionally in the additional step sections, the expansion range in the expansion chamber is increased, without impeding the backflow of the expanded gas out of the expansion chamber.

A system and method for prostate cancer treatment under local anesthesia includes creating a superficial skin and subcutaneous block in a perineal area of a patient by administering a first anesthetizing agent; creating a deep nerve block under ultrasound guidance by administering a second anesthetizing agent, the second anesthetizing agent infiltrating cavernosal nerve bundle tissue and periprostatic space; and ablating prostate tissue. The office-based method, statistical models and computer generated treatment plans identify and ablate prostate tissue containing cancer through or via the perineum while preserving prostate function, and critical anatomical structures. Multiple technologies are integrated and processed to deliver a safe treatment procedure, under local anesthesia by integrating the information of magnetic resonance imaging and planning the ablative treatment using algorithms that ensure maximal precision in both killing cancerous tissue and preserving healthy tissue along with its corresponding function.

A controllable stiffness endoscope overtube includes an overtube shaft including an inner sheath defining an access lumen and an outer sheath surrounding the inner sheath from proximal to distal end of inner sheath to define an annulus therebetween having a proximal portion with a vacuum connection. The sheath distal ends are longitudinally fixed to one another and sized to receive an endoscope. The outer sheath has a constant outer diameter over at least a distal portion of the annulus proximate to the distal ends of the sheaths. A vacuum device is fluidically connected to the vacuum connection and applies vacuum to the annulus. Responsive thereto, annulus pressure is lowered, the sheaths are drawn together, and the overtube shaft is stiffened over at least the distal portion to stiffen and maintain a current shape of the overtube shaft over at least the distal portion of the annulus.

A balloon is provided for selectively moving an esophagus away from an ablation site. The balloon is received through an oral cavity and into the esophagus of a patient. A deflecting member is provided in the tube, the balloon, or both, so as to selectively distort to bend the balloon and/or the tube to move the esophagus away from the ablation site. The deflecting member may comprise at least one of a strip made of a shape memory material that is responsive to the receipt of a stimulus to deflect to a predetermined shape, a strip that is made of or contains a ferrous material and that deflects in response to the presence of a magnetic field, and a selectively tensionable cable, wire, or string. The deflecting member may be supplemented by a stiffening strip that is located in the balloon and that causes the balloon to expand circumferentially and asymmetrically when inflated.

A method for anesthetizing a human patient undergoing surgery and/or pain block procedure, the method comprising sterilizing the patient's skin including a target region, the target region including a surgical site including the patient's spine; inserting at least one cryo-needle into a first tissue region, the cryo-needle having a distal end configured to cool surrounding patient tissue, the first tissue region comprising soft tissue superficial to the one or more vertebra and on a first lateral side of the patients spine; cooling the distal end of the cryo-needle to cause cooling of surrounding patient tissue thus inhibiting one or more sensory nerves in the surrounding patient tissue; thereafter, performing spinal surgery on the patient's spine at the surgical site; and, thereafter, performing an erector spinae plane block to further inhibit nerves post-operatively in the target region.

Systems, devices, and methods for guiding an ablation procedure are provided. For example, in one embodiment, a system for guiding ablation includes a processor circuit in communication an electrophysiology (EP) catheter comprising a plurality of electrodes. The EP catheter is positioned near an ablation balloon during placement at the ablation site, and is used to detect blood flow within a cavity of the heart by detecting electrical signals relating to dielectric properties. It can then be determined whether any gaps are present at the interface between the balloon and the ablation site. For example, the processor circuit can determine, based on the detected blood flow, whether a balloon occludes a region of interest. The processor then outputs a visualization indicating whether the balloon occludes the region of interest to a display.