Methods for bilateral renal neuromodulation

摘要

Methods and apparatus are provided for bilateral renal neuromodulation, e.g., via a pulsed electric field, via a stimulation electric field, via localized drug delivery, via high frequency ultrasound, via thermal techniques, etc. Such neuromodulation may effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, action potential attenuation or blockade, changes in cytokine up-regulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, neuromodulation is applied to neural fibers that contribute to renal function. In some embodiments, such neuromodulation is performed in a bilateral fashion. Bilateral renal neuromodulation may provide enhanced therapeutic effect in some patients as compared to renal neuromodulation performed unilaterally, i.e., as compared to renal neuromodulation performed on neural tissue innervating a single kidney.

主权项

1. A method for catheter-based renal neuromodulation of a human patient with a diagnosed condition comprising at least one of heart failure, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, impaired renal function, or chronic renal failure, the method comprising:
intravascularly positioning a first catheter comprising a single first electrode within a first renal blood vessel of a human patient and proximate to neural fibers that innervate a first kidney of the patient; and inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the first kidney via radio frequency (RF) energy from the first electrode; intravascularly positioning a second catheter comprising a single second electrode within a second renal blood vessel of the patient and proximate to neural fibers that innervate a second kidney of the patient; and inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the second kidney via RF energy from the second electrode, wherein inhibiting neural communication along the neural fibers innervating the first and second kidney significantly improves a measurable physiological parameter corresponding to the diagnosed condition of the patient.