US 12,268,492 B2
Use of low-power RF energy for tissue diagnosis
Russell P. Dresher, Hudson, MA (US)
Assigned to Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc., Maple Grove, MN (US)
Filed by Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc., Maple Grove, MN (US)
Filed on Jan. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/151,902.
Application 17/151,902 is a continuation of application No. 15/454,203, filed on Mar. 9, 2017, granted, now 10,925,512.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/306,441, filed on Mar. 10, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0161427 A1, Jun. 3, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 5/07 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/0507 (2021.01); A61B 5/053 (2021.01)
CPC A61B 5/07 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0507 (2013.01); A61B 5/053 (2013.01); A61B 5/6853 (2013.01); A61B 5/6858 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for diagnosing a disease-state of tissue of a passageway in a body using a system that comprises an energy source, a controller and a medical device comprising an energy emitting portion that comprises a plurality of electrodes in contact with the tissue, the method comprising:
positioning a medical device in the passageway adjacent the tissue;
supplying an amount of low-power RF energy from the energy source to the energy emitting portion to diagnose the tissue, whereby a first portion of the amount of low-power RF energy is transmitted through the energy emitting portion to the tissue and a second portion of the amount of low-power RF energy is reflected back towards the medical device;
tuning a transmission line impedance of the system to match a predetermined load value that is estimated for healthy tissue;
monitoring a signal corresponding to the second portion for each of the plurality of electrodes after tuning the transmission line, wherein the second portion associated with individual electrodes is measured; and
analyzing the signal to determine a presence or absence of said disease-state tissue;
wherein the passageway is a mucosa-lined passageway and wherein the tissue that is diagnosed is submucosal tissue.