ULTRASOUND MEDICAL SYSTEM AND METHOD
An ultrasound medical system includes an interstitial end effector. The interstitial end effector is interstitially insertable into patient tissue, includes at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and includes at least one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device. One method for ultrasonically treating a lesion in a patient includes the steps of obtaining the interstitial end effector and inserting it into the patient creating a tissue track which is surrounded by patient tissue and which ends at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector. Other steps include ultrasonically ablating the lesion using the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track along substantially the entire tissue track, and withdrawing the end effector from the patient.
1 : A method for ultrasonically treating a lesion in a patient comprising the steps of:
a) obtaining an interstitial end effector having a distal end, including a medical ultrasound transducer assembly having at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and including at least one end-effector-tissue-track-ablating device;
b) inserting the interstitial end effector into the patient creating a tissue track which is surrounded by patient tissue and which ends at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector
c) ultrasonically ablating the lesion using the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer;
d) using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track along substantially the entire tissue track; and
e) withdrawing the interstitial end effector from the patient.
2 : The method of claim 1 , also including the step of using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector.
3 : The method of claim 1 , wherein the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device includes a non-ultrasound energy source, and wherein step d) uses the non-ultrasound energy source to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track.
4 : The method of claim 3 , wherein the non-ultrasound energy source is chosen from the group consisting of a resistive heat energy source, a hot liquid energy source, a monopolar radio-frequency (RF) energy source, a bipolar radio-frequency (RF) energy source, a capacitive heat energy source, a microwave energy source, and combinations thereof.
5 : The method of claim 1 , wherein the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device includes a tissue-ablating chemical agent, and wherein step d) uses the tissue-ablating chemical agent to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track.
6 : The method of claim 5 , wherein the tissue-ablating chemical agent is chosen from the group consisting of fibrin, alcohol, an acidic fluid, a chemotherapeutic agent, and combinations thereof.
7 : The method of claim 1 , wherein step d) uses the medical ultrasound transducer assembly to ultrasonically ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track.
8 : The method of claim 7 , wherein step d) ultrasonically ablates at a higher ultrasound frequency than does step c).
9 : The method of claim 1 , also including the step of monitoring the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track during step d).
10 : The method of claim 9 , wherein the monitoring is chosen from the group consisting of B-mode ultrasonic image monitoring, tissue temperature monitoring, tissue electric impedance, and combinations thereof.
11 : The method of claim 1 , also including, after step b) and before step c), the step of stabilizing the interstitial end effector with respect to the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track and including, after step c) and before step d), the step of releasing the stabilizing of the interstitial end effector with respect to the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein step e) includes stepwise withdrawing the interstitial end effector from the patient using a plurality of positional steps, and wherein step d) includes ablating the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track for a predetermined time with the interstitial end effector at each positional step.
13 - 23 . (canceled)