Systems and methods for visualizing fluid enhanced ablation therapy

摘要

Systems and methods for visualizing fluid enhanced ablation therapy are described herein. In one embodiment, a method for ablating tissue is provided that includes inserting an elongate body into a tissue volume, heating an imageable fluid within the elongate body to transform the imageable fluid into an imageable therapeutic fluid, delivering the imageable therapeutic fluid into the tissue volume to deliver a therapeutic dose of thermal energy to the tissue volume, and imaging the tissue volume to determine the extent of the tissue volume containing the imageable therapeutic fluid. The imageable therapeutic fluid can indicate the extent of the tissue volume that has received the therapeutic dose of thermal energy.

主权项

1. A method for ablating tissue, comprising:
inserting an elongate body into a tissue volume where about ⅓ of the volume is extracellular space; heating a fluid within the elongate body that contains saline and a contrast agent that can be viewed using an X-ray imaging technology; delivering the heated fluid into the tissue volume through an outlet port formed in the elongate body; delivering energy into the tissue volume from an ablation element disposed on the elongate body simultaneously with the heated fluid; capturing an image of the tissue volume using the X-ray imaging technology, wherein the image shows a substantially circular portion of the tissue volume containing the contrast agent of the heated fluid and centered about the outlet port; computing with a digital data processor a first radius of the substantially circular portion of the tissue volume containing the contrast agent of the heated fluid based on the captured image; computing with a digital data processor a second radius that is about ⅔ of the first radius, wherein the second radius represents a portion of the tissue volume that has received a dose of thermal energy sufficient to destroy tissue; and halting delivery of at least one of the heated fluid and energy when the second radius reaches a predetermined value.