Non-surgical incontinence treatment system and method
View Patent ↗Devices, systems, and methods can treat incontinence by heating between about 100 and about 800 cubic millimeters of endopelvic fascia for sufficient time to effect substantial collagenous tissue shrinkage. A probe body may directly engage the endopelvic fascia, or may be separated from the endopelvic fascia, heating through (for example) the vaginal wall. In either case, tissue-penetrating electrodes may be inserted from the probe body so as to heat the endopelvic fascia.
1. A method for treating incontinence, the method comprising: aligning a probe body with a collagenous pelvic tissue; heating a treatment volume of at least 100 cubic millimeters of the collagenous tissue using the aligned probe body.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment volume is separated from a urethra by at least about 1 cm.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the treatment volume is offset laterally from the urethra to a right side or left side.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the treatment volume comprises at least 300 cubic millimeters of collagenous tissue, wherein the heating is performed so that the treatment volume is heated to a temperature of at least 70° C. for a time of at least 30 seconds, wherein the treatment volume is offset laterally from the urethra to a right side of a patient, and further comprising heating another treatment volume offset laterally from the urethra to a left side of the patient, the other treatment volume comprising at least 300 cubic millimeters of collagenous tissue and heated to at least 70° C. for at least 30 seconds.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment volume is heated to at least about 65° C. for at least about 100 seconds.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment volume is heated to at least about 75° C. for at least about 10 seconds.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a dwell time after a desired heating temperature is achieved so as to increase treatment tissue volume.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment volume has a length orientation extending along a urethra, a depth orientation extending between the collagenous tissue and the probe body, and a width that is greater than the length of the treatment volume.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment volume has a length orientation extending along a urethra, a depth orientation extending between the collagenous tissue and the probe body, and a width that is less than the length of the treatment volume.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising registering a position of the treatment volume along an axis of the urethra with reference to a guide body disposed within the urethra.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising registering a position of the treatment volume with reference to bone.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the probe is aligned so that an intermediate tissue is disposed between the probe body and the treatment volume.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the treatment volume comprises tissue separated from the aligned probe body by a distance within a range of about 2 to 8 mm.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the treatment volume comprises tissue separated from the aligned probe body by a distance within a range of about 2 to 4 mm.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the heating is performed so as to inhibit necrosis of the intermediate tissue.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the heating is performed while cooling the intermediate tissue.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the heating is performed without cooling of the intermediate tissue.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating is performed by tip movement of at least a pair of electrodes supported by the probe body.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the treatment volume increases as the tip movement speed decreases.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment volume comprises at least 300 cubic millimeters of collagenous tissue.