The present invention relates to a monitoring apparatus for monitoring an ablation procedure. The monitoring apparatus comprises an ultrasound signal providing unit for providing an ultrasound signal that depends on received echo series of an object that is ablated. The monitoring apparatus further comprises an ablation depth determination unit for determining an ablation depth from the provided ultrasound signal. The ablation depth can be determined directly from the ultrasound signal and is an important parameter while performing an ablation procedure. For example, it can be used for determining the progress of ablation within the object and for determining when the ablation has reached a desired progression.

The invention relates to ultrasound imaging method and apparatus suitable for minimally invasive ultrasound diagnostic devices in cardiac ablation monitoring and in tumor ablation monitoring. The present invention proposes an assembly of forward and side-facing transducers and a system of embedded forward and side-facing transducers in apertures on surfaces of the assembly. This provides control of the acoustic properties of the transducer and improved ablation monitoring when the assembly is incorporated in a medical device.

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.

A device for radio frequency (RF) skin treatment of skin of a user is provided. The device comprises an active electrode and a return electrode. The device further comprises an RF generator arranged to supply RF energy to the user's skin via the active electrode and the return electrode. The return electrode has a planar skin contact surface extending in a main plane. The active electrode has a skin contact surface with a maximum dimension in a range from 100 μm to 500 μm, and a surface area of the planar skin contact surface of the return electrode is at least 5 times larger than a surface area of the skin contact surface of the active electrode. The skin contact surface of the active electrode is arranged in a position at a distance from the main plane, seen in a direction perpendicular to the main plane. The device may be advantageously used, for example, to control the dimensions and shape of a thermal lesion in the user's skin generated by the RF energy.

A radio-frequency ablation catheter comprises a handle having a proximal end and a distal end, an outer tube assembly having a proximal end and a distal end, and an inner tube assembly having a proximal end and a distal end; the proximal end of the outer tube assembly is connected to the distal end of the handle; the proximal end of the inner tube assembly is connected to the distal end of the handle; the inner tube assembly can be driven by the handle to rotate relative to the outer tube assembly; the inner tube assembly comprises a branch electrode assembly, and the branch electrode assembly comprises a plurality of branch electrodes distributed at intervals in the circumferential direction. The branch electrode assembly of the radio-frequency ablation catheter and the radio-frequency ablation system can rotate relative to the outer tube assembly to avoid blood vessels.

An apparatus includes a shaft assembly, first and second electrode assemblies, and a controller. The shaft assembly is configured to fit in a nasal cavity of a patient. The first and second electrode assemblies are at the distal end of the shaft assembly. The second electrode assembly includes a stimulus electrode and a sensing electrode. The stimulus and sensing electrodes are positioned on opposing lateral sides in relation to the longitudinal axis of the shaft assembly. The controller is operable to generate an electrical signal to perform one or both of tissue ablation or denervation of a targeted nerve via the first electrode assembly, generate an electrical stimulus signal to stimulate the targeted nerve via the stimulus electrode of the second electrode assembly, and process a response signal received from the targeted nerve via the sensing electrode of the second electrode assembly.

A medical device includes a shaft including a central lumen configured to direct a flow of fluid through the shaft, and an electrode positioned at a distal portion of the shaft. The electrode includes an electrode lumen in fluid communication with the central lumen, and the electrode lumen is configured to receive the flow of fluid from the central lumen. The electrode also includes one or more channels angled relative to the electrode lumen, and the one or more channels are in fluid communication with the electrode lumen to receive the flow of fluid from the electrode lumen. The one or more channels are configured to divert the flow of fluid from the electrode lumen toward one or more outlets laterally offset from the electrode lumen.

Provided herein is a multifunctional aesthetic system including a housing, an electromagnetic array situated in the housing and having one or more electromagnetic radiation (EMR) sources, a controller in electronic communication with the array to operate the one or more of the EMR sources to direct the EMR beam to a treatment area, and one or more sensors in electronic communication with the controller for providing feedback to the controller based on defined parameters to allow the controller to adjust at least one operating condition of the multifunctional system in response to the feedback.

There is provided a computerized method of tracking a position of an intra-body catheter, comprising: physically tracking coordinates of the position of a distal portion of a physical catheter within the physical body portion of the patient according to physically applied plurality of electrical fields within the body portion and measurements of the plurality of electrical fields performed by a plurality of physical electrodes at a distal portion of the physical catheter; registering the physically tracked coordinates with simulated coordinates generated according to a simulation of a simulated catheter within a simulation of the body of the patient, to identify differences between physically tracked location coordinates and the simulation coordinates; correcting the physically tracked location coordinates according to the registered simulation coordinates; and providing the corrected physically tracked location coordinates for presentation.

An intravascular catheter for nerve activity ablation and/or sensing includes one or more needles advanced through supported guide tubes (needle guiding elements) which expand to contact the interior surface of the wall of the renal artery or other vessel of a human body allowing the needles to be advanced though the vessel wall into the extra-luminal tissue including the media, adventitia and periadvential space. The catheter also includes structures which provide radial and lateral support to the guide tubes so that the guide tubes open uniformly and maintain their position against the interior surface of the vessel wall as the sharpened needles are advanced to penetrate into the vessel wall. Electrodes at the distal ends of the guide tubes allow sensing of nerve activity before and after attempted renal denervation. In a combination embodiment ablative energy or fluid is delivered to ablate nerves outside of the media.