Damaged, diseased, abnormal, obstructive, cancerous or undesired neural tissue treated by delivering specialized pulsed electric field (PEF) energy to target tissue areas. In some instances, the target tissue includes a tumor, a benign tumor, a malignant tumor, a cyst, or an area of diseased tissue. Most brain and spinal cord tumors develop from glial cells. These tumors are sometimes referred to as a group called gliomas. They arise from the supporting cells of the brain, called the glia. These cells are subdivided into astrocytes, ependymal cells and oligodendroglial cells (or oligos). One difficulty in the treatment of gliomas is that they are behind the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-tumor barrier (BTB) which leads to poor delivery of anti-cancer drugs or immune agents to the tumor-infiltrated brain. Devices, systems and methods are provided that treat the tumor directly, such as by ablation, and optionally transiently disrupt the BBB coupled with adjuvant antibody, biologic, or other pharmaceutical interventions.

A method and system of adaptive cold atmospheric based treatment for diseased tissues, such as an area with cancerous cells, is disclosed. A plasma device generates a cold atmospheric plasma jet directed at the area having cancerous cells. A sensor is operable to sense the viability of the cancerous cells in the area. A controller is coupled to the plasma device and sensor. The controller is operative to control an initial plasma jet generated by the plasma device. The controller receives a sensor signal from the sensor to determine cell viability of the selected cells from the initial plasma jet. The controller adjusts the plasma jet based on the viability of the cancerous cells.

A method and system for propelling and controlling displacement of a microrobot in a space having a wall, includes the steps of: forming the microrobot with a body containing a magnetic field-of-force responsive material, wherein, in response to a magnetic field of force, a force is applied to the material in a direction of the magnetic field of force; positioning the microrobot in the space for displacement in that space; and generating the magnetic field of force with a predetermined gradient and applying the magnetic field of force to the microrobot propelling the microrobot through the space in a direction of a field of force. Then, a sequence of field generating steps are executed, wherein each step includes calculating the direction, amplitude and spatial variation of the net field of force to control displacement of the microrobot in the space and against the wall from one equilibrium point to another.

Systems and methods are described for functional brain mapping using neuronavigational equipment and additional features. For example, some implementations described combine novel cortical stimulator tools with stereotactic navigation for three-dimensional position tracking of the cortical stimulator tools. In some implementations, the systems and methods described herein can be used on an awake patient. In some implementations, the systems and methods described herein can be used on a patient that is asleep, via motor evoked potentials (MEPs), phase reversal, or electromyography (EMG) monitoring. Accordingly, in some cases sensory and language regions of the brain can be identified in addition to motor regions.

Disclosed are methods of obtaining zero vergence ultrasound waves for providing sonodynamic therapy with ultrasound waves. The method includes coupling a sonodynamic therapy device with an array of flat piezoelectric transducers to a skin surface. A controller is configured to generate an electrical drive signal at a frequency, modulate the drive signal, and drive the transducer with the modulated drive signal at the frequency to produce a zero vergence ultrasound wave to produce an average acoustic intensity sufficient to activate a sonosensitizer in a treatment region without damaging healthy cells in the treatment region.

This disclosure relates to using stereo-thermo-lesioning (STL) to create lesions at one or more locations in the patient's nervous system at the patient's bedside without general anesthesia. A method that uses STL to treat a patient's neurological condition includes: using a plurality of stereotactically-implanted thermo-coupled multi-contact electrodes to record conduction data within a predetermined theoretical zone of activity within the patient's neurological tissue; detecting abnormal neurological activity of a neurological condition within the conduction data and localize a portion of the predetermined theoretical zone of activity that is responsible for a primary organization of the abnormal neurological activity; creating a lesion at the portion of the predetermined theoretical zone of activity that is responsible for a primary organization of the abnormal neurological activity using at least one contact of the plurality of thermo-coupled multi-contact electrodes.

Disclosed herein are improved neural depth probes for detection and stimulation, along with various related improved components, devices, methods, and technologies. More specifically, the devices are layered depth electrodes with at least two layers, with each of the layers containing at least one thin-film trace disposed thereon. Each of the devices can also have a plurality of layers with at least two traces on each layer and contacts coupled to each trace.

A lesion control system includes a radio-frequency (RF) generator that produces RF energy having a predetermined frequency and power; a controller comprising a microprocessor; a multi-polar RF ablation probe having a plurality of electrical contacts; a plurality of RF input lines electrically coupled to an output terminal of the RF generator; a plurality of RF output lines, each RF output line electrically coupled to a respective one or more of the electrical contacts in the multi-polar RF ablation probe; an RF return line electrically coupled to a return terminal of the RF generator; and a plurality of switches, each switch having a respective terminal electrically coupled to a respective RF output line, each switch electrically coupled to the controller. The controller is configured to produce switch control signals that change a respective state of one or more of the switches to set a configuration of the multi-polar RF ablation probe.

The present invention relates to comprehensive systems, devices and methods for delivering energy to tissue for a wide variety of applications, including medical procedures (e.g., tissue ablation, resection, cautery, vascular thrombosis, treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and dysrhythmias, electrosurgery, tissue harvest, etc.). In certain embodiments, systems, devices, and methods are provided for treating a tissue region (e.g., a tumor) through application of energy.

Devices, systems, and methods to verify a magnetic field phase drift and to check for proper function of a laser fiber cooling system during laser ablation therapy are disclosed. The laser fiber cooling system includes a cooling catheter insertable into laser ablation target tissue, a coupling assembly to define fluid channels, inflow and outflow ports, a fluid pump to pump fluid through the laser fiber cooling system, a fluid source, a first sensor to measure an inflow fluid parameter, a second sensor to measure an outflow fluid parameter, and a processor. Methods of verifying and checking include measuring the fluid parameter, comparing the inflow and outflow parameter measurements to determine a comparison value, comparing the comparison value to a tolerance range, and signaling a user when the comparison value is outside of the tolerance range.