Systems and methods utilizing RF energy to treat a patient's skin (e.g., dermis and hypodermis) or other target tissue including at a depth below a tissue surface (e.g., skin surface, mucosal surfaces of the vagina or esophagus) are provided herein. In various aspects, the methods and systems described herein can provide a RF-based treatment in which the deposition of RF energy can be selectively controlled to help ensure heating uniformity during one or more of body sculpting treatment (lipolysis), skin tightening treatment (laxity improvement), cellulite treatment, vaginal laxity or rejuvenation treatment, urinary incontinence treatment, fecal incontinence treatment, all by way of non-limiting examples. In various aspects, the systems can comprise one or more sources of RF energy (e.g., a RF generator), a treatment applicator comprising one or more electrode arrays configured to be disposed in contact with a tissue surface, and a return electrode (e.g., a neutral pad) to the tissue surface.

Described here are methods and systems for the manipulation of ovarian tissues. The methods and systems may be used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The systems and methods may be useful in the treatment of infertility associated with PCOS.

A temperature sensing system for an electrosurgical instrument able to detect temperatures internal and/or external to the electrosurgical instrument. Temperatures detected by a temperature sensor are processed by a monitoring module which prompts action to reduce temperatures where appropriate. The temperature sensing system is particularly useful for electrosurgical instruments which combine rotary shaver arrangements and RF electrode arrangements, where suction is used to remove RF heated saline from the surgical site. Without monitoring the temperature of the electrosurgical instrument and/or the surgical site, there is a risk of burning the patient if the RF heated saline becomes too hot as the electrosurgical instrument may not be adequately insulated.

A catheter has at least a first transducer located in an interior of at least a first balloon, the first transducer configured to be operated at an operational frequency. The first transducer transmits an acoustic signal that provides a first acoustic field with multiple lobes along a longitudinal axis of the first transducer, each of the lobes has a spatial intensity maximum in a spatial intensity distribution of the first acoustic field, the spatial intensity distribution being at a surface of the first balloon and parallel to a surface of the first transducer, the spatial intensity distribution of the first acoustic field having one or more reduced spatial acoustic intensity locations where the spatial intensity of the acoustic field of the first transducer is 50% or less of a value of one of the spatial intensity maxima of the first transducer, each of the reduced spatial acoustic intensity locations being between the spatial intensity maxima for lobes that are adjacent to one another along the longitudinal axis of the first transducer, and each of the reduced spatial acoustic intensity locations being on the surface of the first balloon between the spatial intensity maxima that are adjacent to one another along the longitudinal axis of the first transducer. The catheter further comprises at least a first electrode configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal, the first electrode being positioned on the first balloon at one of the reduced spatial acoustic intensity location of the first transducer.

Tumors can be treated with an alternating electric field. The size of cells in the tumor is determined prior to the start of treatment by, for example, biopsy or by inverse electric impedance tomography. A treatment frequency is chosen based on the determined cell size. The cell size can be determined during the course of treatment and the treatment frequency is adjusted to reflect changes in the cell size. A suitable apparatus for this purpose includes a device for measuring the tumor impedance, an AC signal generator with a controllable output frequency, a processor for estimating the size of tumor cells and setting the frequency of the AC signal generator based thereon, and at least one pair of electrodes operatively connected to the AC signal generator such that an alternating electric field is applied to the tumor.

A catheter system for ablation of tissue around a blood vessel, e.g., the pulmonary artery, to reduce neural activity of nerves surrounding the blood vessel. The catheter system includes an elongate shaft having a proximal portion coupled to a handle, and a distal portion. The distal portion includes a transducer and an expandable anchor, which may be actuated to transition between a collapsed delivery state and an expanded deployed state where the anchor centralizes the transducer within the blood vessel. The transducer may be actuated to emit energy to reduce neural activity of the nerves surrounding the blood vessel. Systems and method are further provided for confirming that neural activity of the nerves surround the blood vessel has been sufficiently reduced.

The present invention relates to an ablation equipment (100) to treat target regions of tissue (41) in organs (44), comprising an ablation catheter (1) and a single power source (4); said ablation catheter (1) comprising: a catheter elongated shaft (13) comprising at least an elongated shaft distal portion (17); said catheter elongated shaft (13) comprising a flexible body (207) to navigate through body vessels (208); said ablation catheter (1) further comprising a shaft ablation assembly (20) disposed at said elongated shaft distal portion (17); said shaft ablation assembly (2) comprising at least a plurality of electrodes (127, 113 or 114) fixedly disposed at said elongated shaft distal portion (17); all electrodes of said at least a plurality (127, 113 or 114) being electrically powered by said single power source (4) through an electric signal (S) to deliver both non-thermal energy for treating the tissue (41) and thermal energy for ablating the tissue (41); wherein said electric signal (S) comprises a sinusoidal wave, and said single power source (4), when requested, changes continuously said electric signal (S) in order to power the said least a plurality of electrodes (127, 113 or 114) to deliver from a non-thermal energy to a thermal energy, and vice versa, or to deliver at the same time a combination of thermal energy and non-thermal energy.

A method of non-thermally ablating undesirable tissue in the body by application of pulsed, bipolar, instant charge reversal electrical fields of sufficient energy to cause complete and immediate cell membrane rupture and destruction. Energy is delivered through radio frequency pulses of particular frequencies, wave characteristics, pulse widths and pulse numbers, such that enhanced physical stresses are placed on the cell membrane to cause its immediate and complete destruction thereby spilling the entire cell content and membrane constituents into, the extracellular space without denaturing proteins so as to enable an immunological response to destroy and remove the target tissue and similarly marked tissue elsewhere in the subject.

A surgical instrument connectable to a surgical energy module that is configured to provide a first drive signal at a first frequency range for driving a first energy modality and a second drive signal at a second frequency range for driving a second energy modality is provided. The surgical instrument can comprise a surgical instrument component configured to receive power from a direct current (DC) power source, an end effector, and a circuit. The circuit can be configured to convert the first electrical signal to a DC voltage, apply the DC voltage to the surgical instrument component, and deliver the second energy modality to the end effector according to the second drive signal. Alternatively, the circuit can be disposed within a cable assembly configured to connect the surgical instrument to the surgical energy module.

A medical apparatus includes a probe configured for insertion into a body of a patient. The probe includes a plurality of electrodes configured to contact tissue within the body. The medical apparatus further includes an electrical signal generator configured to apply between one or more pairs of the electrodes signals of first and second types in alternation. The signals of the first type include a sequence of bipolar pulses having an amplitude sufficient to cause irreversible electrophoresis (IRE) in the tissue contacted by the electrodes. The signals of the second type include a radio-frequency (RF) signal having a power sufficient to thermally ablate the tissue contacted by the electrodes.