Automatic over-temperature control apparatus for a therapeutic heating device

TLDR: In this article, an over-temperature control for heat lesion generation equipment in the case of neurosurgery is presented. But the system is a hybrid between a purely manually controlled radio frequency heating unit and a completely automatic controlling radio frequency unit, the latter being such that it automatically raises the radio frequency power and feedbacks on a set temperature to stabilize the final electrode temperature.

Abstract: The use of radio frequency currents to heat and destroy neurological tissues is well known in the field of neurosurgery and typically involves monitoring of the tissue temperature as it is being heated by an in-dwelling electrode. This patent deals with an apparatus and method which enables the operator of such apparatus to be in control of the rise of temperature and the increase in radio frequency power delivered to such electrodes, and yet also to pre-set a temperature and have control circuitry and other means to prevent the electrode temperature to exceed a set temperature point. We refer to this as an over-temperature control for heat lesion generation equipment in the case of neurosurgery. The system is a hybrid between a purely manually controlled radio frequency heating unit and a completely automatically controlled radio frequency unit, the latter being such that it automatically raises the radio frequency power and feedbacks on a set temperature to stabilize the final electrode temperature. The present invention retains the important position of the human operator in establishing the rise of temperature and yet affords the advantage of temperature stabilization at a fixed end point and thereby gives the benefits of a fully automatic control system to the added asset of safety and human control.