Sherwood Services Ag

Gregory Herbert Lambrecht

Thomas Patrick Ryan

An apparatus for transcervical sterilization or transcatheter embolization with a controlled bipolar RF catheter for creating thermal lesions in the fallopian tubes or thrombosing vessels has a catheter elongate along an axis thereof with a patient end. The catheter is circular and sized for transcervical insertion into the fallopian tube or transcatheter vessel insertion, respectively. A connector on an end of the catheter opposite the patient end has the terminations for RF and monitoring and is shaped for the surgeon to manipulate during placement and withdrawal. Two or more bipolar electrodes on the patient end are placed so each electrode is spaced from another with each circumscribing the catheter. A mucosa or thrombus sensor responsive to applied RF energy passing between the two or more bipolar electrodes determines the condition of the transmural formation of a lesion or the thrombus between each of the electrodes. The sensor is a temperature sensor positioned in the space between the electrodes measures the change in mucosal layer temperature or the thrombus during the application of RF energy. An RF generator electrically coupled to the electrodes and the sensor is alternately a phase detector in circuit with the coupling determines reactance of tissue as an indicator of lag or lead of the voltage wave form or current wave form delivered or is an impedance responsive circuit positioned in the RF generator to determine voltage and current delivered so a calculator finds impedance delivered for finding initial electrode contact with the tissue and for measuring the change in mucosal layer. The temperature sensor connects to an RF generator with control circuitry regulating delivery to a temperature range. A method for sterilization has the steps of inserting a catheter, delivering RF and monitoring the effect on the mucosa or thrombus, circumscribing the catheter with two or more bipolar electrodes, each of the electrodes spaced from one another and passing RF energy therebetween.

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Cos Cob, CT, United States of America

Gregory Herbert Lambrecht