| 摘要 |
<p>The present invention involves an apparatus for occluding a lumen, such as a vessel, in a mammal using alternating current generator (4) and monitoring reflected power from the occlusion site to determine vessel constriction and/or electrocoagulation. According to the present invention an apparatus is provided comprising an alternating current (AC) power generator (4), a first electrode electrically coupled to the generator, a dispersive electrode (8) electrically coupled to the generator and forming in-part with said generator and the first electrode a drive circuit and a reflected power monitoring circuit (10) coupled to the drive circuit for monitoring power reflected back toward the generator from the first electrode. With this construction, occlusion and/or thermocoagulation can be accurately detected so that the power delivered to the first electrode when positioned in the mammal can be terminated. In this manner, the risk of overheating tissue in the vicinity of the constricted vessel is minimized or eliminated. The first electrode can be in the form of an electrically conductive catheter having the external surface of its body insulated, having a non insulated conductive distal end which can be mechanically detachable. <IMAGE> <IMAGE></p> |
