Urethral identification system and method of identifying a patient's urethral anatomic course in real time for the precise placement of a prostate treatment element

摘要

A method of identifying a patient's urethral anatomic course for the precise placement of a treatment element into the patient's prostate, wherein a catheter containing an imaging bladder is introduced into a urethra until it is generally aligned with a treatment site of the prostate. An imaging probe is positioned relative to the treatment site and the urethra and is activated to obtain a real time image of the treatment site. The bladder is filled to define an acoustic interface between its interior and the urethral wall. A boundary of the urethra is identified at the acoustic interface during placement of the treatment element to position it relative to the urethra. A urethral identification system includes a catheter having the bladder spaced from the tip thereof and inflated allowing the bladder to contact the urethral wall and define the acoustic interface that is visible utilizing an ultrasound imaging device.