Electrosurgical tissue treatment method and device

摘要

A device for treating spinal tissue of a patient's body may include an energy source and first and second probe assemblies. Each of the probe assemblies may have an electrically conductive energy delivery device electrically coupled to the energy source, and may also have an electrothermal device for cooling the probe assembly. The device is configured so that the energy source delivers energy to the spinal tissue through the energy delivery devices in a bipolar mode that concentrates delivered energy between the energy delivery devices to create a lesion within the spinal tissue while the electrothermal devices cool the probe assemblies. Related methods of use include cooling, at times via an electrothermal device.

主权项

1. A method of treating spinal tissue of a patient's body using a system comprising an energy source and first and second internally-cooled probe assemblies, wherein each of the probe assemblies comprises an electrically conductive energy delivery device electrically coupled to the energy source, the method comprising:
inserting the energy delivery devices of the first and second internally-cooled probe assemblies into spaced-apart treatment sites for the spinal tissue;delivering energy from the energy source to the spinal tissue through the energy delivery devices in a bipolar mode that concentrates delivered energy between the energy delivery devices to create a lesion within the spinal tissue;cooling the energy delivery devices; andcontrolling the delivery of energy to and the cooling of the energy delivery devices at least in part based on a distance between the energy delivery devices such that the lesion extends between the energy delivery devices.