Precision surgery with an electromagnetically induced current convergence probe application in aneurysm treatment, angioplasty, and brain tumor resection in in vivo and in vitro models.

Abstract

A hand-held probe, or one introduced through a catheter, rapidly produces an extremely high, tissue-vaporizing temperature in a precisely defined manner enabling surgeons or interventional radiologists to perform angioplasty, thrombose aneurysms, and vaporize tumors. The probe is operated in a near field of an inductive coil, and the current induced in the biologic tissue is converged maximally at the tip of the probe at the resonance frequency of both the inductor and the probe, producing a maximum temperature in excess of 1400 degrees C. Radio-frequency power controls the probe-tip temperature. The operation of the probe is comparable to that of a CO2 or YAG laser and is complementary to laser-surgical techniques. The low cost relative to lasers and simplicity of the device including its disposable components make the prospect of commercialization of this device promising.