MULTIPLE ELECTRODE GENERATOR

摘要

A system and a method for applying energy, particularly radiofrequency electrical energy, to a living body.

主权项

1. A system for the application of electrical energy to bodily tissue comprising:
At least three electrodes, each of the at least three electrodes having an exposed conductive tip and a temperature sensor in the conductive tip, each electrode being adapted to be inserted into a patient's body so that said conductive tip will contact the tissue in the patient's body and the temperature sensor will sense the temperature of the tissue near said conductive tip; a generator that produces high-frequency signal output between at least two output poles; a temperature detector that measures the temperatures from the temperature sensors; a switching system by which each of the at least three electrodes can be connected to and disconnected from each of the at least two output poles; and a controller that automatically produces a sequence of steps to regulate at the same time the temperatures measured from all of the at least three electrodes, such that the temperature measured from each of the at least three electrodes is held at a set temperature for the electrode; wherein, for each of the steps of the sequence, the controller configures the switching system to connect one or more of the at least three electrodes to a first output pole of the least two output poles forming a first group of electrodes, and to connect one or more of the at least three electrodes to a second output pole of the at least two output poles forming a second group of electrodes, so that high-frequency signal output is electrically conducted through the patient's body between the first group of electrodes and the second group of electrodes; the controller sets the duration of each of the steps in the sequence, the identity of electrodes in the first group for each of the steps in the sequence, and the identity of the electrodes in the second group for each of the steps in the sequence; and during the sequence, the generator does not deliver high-frequency signal output to any electrode in contact with the patient's body other than the at least three electrodes.