ELECTROSURGICAL TREATMENT METHOD AND DEVICE
A method and device are disclosed for performing an electrosurgical procedure on a bodily tissue. The device has insulated and conductive regions for creating lesions in bodily tissue. A method of using the device is also described, including specific methods of diagnosing and treating sacroiliac-related pain using the device.
1 . A method of delivering energy to a sacroiliac region of a patient's body, through a device having at least one electrically insulated region along a portion of a circumference of the device and at least one current delivering region along a remaining portion of the circumference of the device comprising, in any order, the steps of:
positioning the electrically insulated region and the current delivering region within the sacroiliac region of a patient's body such that the current delivering region is electrically exposed to a target site and at least a portion of the electrically insulated region shields another site; and
delivering energy to the device;
whereby energy is delivered substantially towards the target site and substantially prevented from being delivered to the shielded site.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the shielded site comprises a posterior sacral foramen.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the target site comprises at least a portion of a sacral neural crescent.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the target site comprises at least a portion of a sacroiliac joint margin.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the target site is located within a sacroiliac joint.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein energy is delivered in order to reduce one or more symptoms of sacroiliac joint syndrome.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein said one or more symptoms of sacroiliac joint syndrome comprises one or more of: pain, stiffness and tingling.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein energy is delivered in order to alter the structure or function, or both, of neural tissue.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of delivering energy comprises delivering energy sufficient to ablate one or more neural structures.
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the target site includes at least one sacral nerve and wherein energy is delivered in order to treat the at least one sacral nerve.
11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the target site includes at least two branches of a sacral nerve and wherein energy is delivered to treat the at least two branches of the sacral nerve.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of delivering energy comprises delivering energy selected from the group consisting of:
electromagnetic energy ranging from radio-frequency energy to optical energy, thermal energy and microwave energy.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of delivering energy comprises delivering radio-frequency energy.
14 . The method claim 1 , further comprising the steps of repositioning the device at a second location within the sacroiliac region of a patient's body and delivering energy to the device.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein energy is delivered in order to create a strip lesion.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein energy is delivered in order to create a substantially homogeneous lesion.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises current delivering windows separated by a material that is at least a partial electrical insulator.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein at least some of the current delivering windows are electrically isolated from each other.
19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises at least one marker for determining the position of the current delivering region.
20 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of measuring at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of temperature, pressure and impedance.
21 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of cooling at least a portion of the device.
22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of positioning the device utilizes an introducer.
23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is non-linear.
24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the device comprises at least one curve.
25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the curve has a central angle of between about 110 degrees and about 130 degrees, and a radius of curvature between about 5 millimeters and about 15 millimeters.