ELECTROSURGICAL FORCEPS FOR DELIVERING RF AND/OR MICROWAVE ENERGY INTO BIOLOGICAL TISSUE

摘要

Electrosurgical forceps in which one or more pairs of non-resonant unbalanced lossy transmission line structures are arranged on the inner surfaces of the jaws of the forceps provide both (i) active and return electrodes for a radiofrequency (RF) signal, and (ii) lossy structures for delivering a microwave signal into biological tissue in conjunction with a mechanical gripping arrangement for applying pressure to material held within the jaws. The location of the pairs of transmission lines on the jaws of the forceps and the selection of the material of the jaws is arranged to ensure that any biological tissue gripped by the jaws become the propagation medium for the RF signal and the medium into which the microwave signal is lost.

主权项

1. Electrosurgical forceps comprising:
a pair of jaw elements that are pivotable relative to each other to open and close a gap therebetween, the pair of jaw elements comprising a first jaw element and a second jaw element that is rotatably secured to the first jaw element via a pivot joint located at a proximal end of the first jaw element and the second jaw element; a pair of elongate conductive elements mounted in the pair of jaw elements adjacent to the gap; and a coaxial cable for conveying radiofrequency (RF) energy and/or microwave energy, wherein the pivot joint includes an aperture for receiving the coaxial cable, and wherein the pair of elongate conductive elements are electrically connected to the coaxial cable and arranged to act as both
(i) an active electrode and an return electrode for RF energy conveyed by the coaxial cable, and(ii) a non-uniform unbalanced lossy transmission line to support the microwave energy as a travelling wave, the non-uniform unbalanced lossy transmission line being non-resonant for the microwave energy along the travelling wave.