Technomed International

Technomed Medical Systems

Muriel Cathaud

Marian A Devonec

Francois Lacoste

Gerard Hascoet

Paul Perrin

Jean-Marie Jacomino

Francedillaois Lacoste

A urethral probe having a front part and a rear part, and a microwave antenna connected to an external device for generating microwaves. The microwave antenna has its primary active heating part arranged in the urethral probe to be directed onto the prostatic tissues located at least at the level of the bladder neck in the working position. The urethral probe constitutes an essential element of a device for the therapeutic treatment of tissues by thermotherapy, more particularly tissues of the bladder neck of the bladder of a human being.

Urethral probe and apparatus for the therapeutic treatment of the

An apparatus for the surgical treatment of tissues by thermal effect, in particular prostate, is disclosed comprising a urethral emitting probe having a front end and a rear end, capable of being inserted in the urethra, provided with microwave antenna located intermediate or in the vicinity of said front end, said microwave antenna being connected to an external microwave generating device, and working at a frequency and at a power effective to heat said tissues to a predetermined temperature for a period of time sufficient to treat said tissues by thermal effect.

Method and apparatus for the surgical treatment of tissues by thermal

A device constituting a transrectal probe comprises a probe body made of a flexible self-supporting polymer material whose degree of flexibility is designed to enable it to comply with the shape of the rectum while having substantially no compression effect on the rectum when inserted therein; the degree of flexibility preferably being defined by a hardness on the Shore A scale of less than about 90. The invention makes it possible to achieve accurate, safe, and reliable positioning of an instrument for detection or therapeutic treatment level with an organ to be observed or treated, and in particular the prostate.

Transrectal probe

An apparatus for the surgical treatment of tissues by thermal effect, in particular the prostate, is disclosed comprising a urethral emitting probe having a front end capable of being inserted in the urethra, provided with a microwave antenna located intermediate or in the vicinity of the front end, the microwave antenna being connected to an external microwave generating device, and working at a frequency and at a power effective to heat the tissues to a predetermined temperature for a period of time sufficient to treat the tissues by thermal effect.

The invention relates to a measuring method for automatically measuring the volume of a tumor or of a gland, and also to a measuring device. The measuring device comprises an endocavitary detector probe, in particular a transrectal probe, display means, the display means including an image-forming screen forming images of the tumor or of the gland as provided by the probe, outline-marking means for marking the outline of the image of the tumor or of the gland on the image-forming screen, thereby enabling a marked outline to be obtained, computer means for calculating the volume of the tumor or of the gland on the basis of the marked outline, and optional means for storing the marked outline. The invention makes it very easy for a practitioner to determine the volume of a tumor or of a gland to be treated.

Method of automatically measuring the volume of a tumor or of a gland,

A positioning device for positioning an instrument in three dimensions, the device comprising at least one arm which is essentially rigid having a first end and a second end, the second end being hinged relative to a support stand via at least one hinge axis, and said instrument being mounted on a support which is connected to the second end of the arm via at least one hinge axis, wherein said instrument comprises an exploration probe and said support for the instrument comprises a device for motion in translation enabling the instrument comprising the exploration probe to be moved in translation relative to the second end of the arm, making it possible to perform exploration for each of the translation positions. The invention enables the instrument at the end of the positioning device to be moved in translation, thereby providing a maximum amount of freedom for positioning the instrument in three dimensions and facilitating locating operations, particularly in the context of transrectal echographic location, this being particularly useful for therapeutic treatment of the prostate.

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Venissieux, France

Muriel Cathaud