An electrosurgical apparatus for treating fluid-filled biological growths by replacing the fluid within the growth with a substance that assists in delivering treatment energy. The treatment energy may be microwave energy or may be thermal energy derived from microwave energy. The apparatus comprises an instrument having a radiating tip portion, and a fluid delivery mechanism for transporting fluid to and from a treatment zone located around the radiating tip portion. The fluid delivery mechanism comprises a rigid insertion element arranged to extend into the treatment zone, whereby fluid can be aspirated from the treatment zone, and a substance injected into the treatment zone to replace the aspirated fluid. The injected substance has dielectric properties selected to facilitate uniform delivery of treatment energy to biological tissue in the treatment zone.

An electrosurgical apparatus having a feed structure comprising a radiofrequency (RF) channel for conveying RF electromagnetic (EM) radiation from an RF signal generator to a probe and a microwave channel for conveying microwave EM radiation from a microwave signal generator to the probe, wherein the RF channel and microwave channel comprise physically separate signal pathways, wherein the feed structure includes a combining circuit having an input connected to the signal pathway on the RF channel, another input connected to the signal pathway on the microwave channel, and an output connected to a common signal pathway for conveying the RE EM radiation and EM radiation separately or simultaneously to the probe, and wherein the microwave channel includes a waveguide isolator connected to isolate the signal pathway on the microwave channel from the RF EM radiation.

A microwave ablation system and method include an elongate microwave ablation probe. The probe has a radiating portion for performing microwave ablation. The probe includes a first electrode and a second electrode located along the probe body. A radiofrequency energy source is connected to the first and second electrodes. An impedance of tissue is measured using the first and second electrodes. The impedance is used to detect a change in tissue due to microwave ablation of the tissue. Therapy parameters for the microwave ablation procedure can be adjusted in response to the measured impedance. In some examples, one of the electrodes is proximal and one electrode is distal to the radiating portion.

A microwave ablation probe includes a cable comprising an antenna configured to deliver Radio Frequency (RF) energy to a target zone and a cooling path defined by a first channel and a second channel configured to circulate cooling fluid in the probe. The inner tube also comprises a choke formed thereon configured to reduce RF energy reflected away from the antenna.

A microwave ablation probe is disclosed. The microwave ablation probe includes an applicator arranged to apply microwave radiation to heat surrounding tissue; a feeding cable arranged to supply electromagnetic energy to the applicator; an antenna portion of an inner conductor of the feeding cable, the antenna portion extending distally from a distal end of an outer conductor of the feeding cable; and an overlapping portion of the inner conductor at least partly overlapping the antenna portion along the length of the antenna portion of the inner conductor and extending along a helical path around the antenna portion of the inner conductor.

An ablation probe tip 100 having a shaft 102 with an insertion end 104 and an annular aperture 120 near the insertion end 104. A center of ablation 124 is located within the shaft 102 and surrounded by the annular aperture shaft 102. The ablation probe tip 100 may be part of an ablation probe system 50 that includes an ablation source 60 that provides ablation means 62 to the ablation probe tip 100. The center of ablation 124 is a focal region from which the ablation means 62 radiates through the annular aperture 120 to form an ablation zone 150, 160, 170. The system 50 has at least one intra-operative control selected from the group of: ablation zone positioning control, ablation zone shaping control, ablation center control, ablation zone temperature control, guided ablation volume/diameter control, and power loading control.

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 delivering energy to difficult to access tissue regions (e.g. peripheral lung tissues), and/or reducing the amount of undesired heat given off during energy delivery.

A combined isolator-diplexer device for supplying radiofrequency (RF) energy and microwave energy obtained from separate sources to a probe via a common signal pathway. The invention combines into a single unit all the necessary components to isolate a microwave channel from an RF channel whilst providing a high withstanding voltage (e.g. greater than 10 kV). The device comprises a waveguide isolator for isolating the microwave channel having a pair of DC isolation barriers arranged therein to provide a pair of series-connected capacitive structures between a ground conductor at an output of the combining circuit and a conductive input section of the waveguide isolator.

An electrosurgical apparatus for treating fluid-filled biological growths by replacing the fluid within the growth with a substance that assists in delivering treatment energy.

The treatment energy may be microwave energy or may be thermal energy derived from microwave energy. The apparatus comprises an instrument having a radiating tip portion, and a fluid delivery mechanism for transporting fluid to and from a treatment zone located around the radiating tip portion. The fluid delivery mechanism comprises a rigid insertion element arranged to extend into the treatment zone, whereby fluid can be aspirated from the treatment zone, and a substance injected into the treatment zone to replace the aspirated fluid. The injected substance has dielectric properties selected to facilitate uniform delivery of treatment energy to biological tissue in the treatment zone.

A dual-mode microwave applicator for treating tissue comprises a control unit, a rod-shaped element, a coaxial line, and a metal sleeve. The control unit controls the applicator in an application mode and a sensing mode. In the application mode microwave radiation is applied and during the sensing mode tumorous tissue is detected. The rod-shaped element comprises a tip. The coaxial line is formed in the rod-shaped element to relay microwaves to the tip for treatment of the tissue. The coaxial line comprises an inner conductor and an outer conductor. The outer conductor includes a slot of a slot length formed at a slot distance from the tip. The metal sleeve at a sleeve distance from the slot. The sleeve distance is about 0.55 mm, the slot length is about 1.75 mm, and the slot distance is about 7.7 mm.