Apparatus and method for shielding tissue during tumor ablation

Abstract

The present invention provides improved methods, systems, and kits for protecting body tissues which are adjacent to tissues undergoing thermal treatment. Thermal treatment is often prescribed for tumors and other disease conditions within body organs and other tissue masses. The methods, systems, and kits are particularly useful for treating tumors which lie at or near the surface of an organ, such as the kidney, pancreas, stomach, spleen, and particularly the liver. One risk of treating such tumors is the possibility of mistargeting the tumor and penetrating a delivery cannula or portions of a treatment device beyond the surface into the adjacent tissues or organs. In the case of radiofrequency or electrosurgical treatment, healthy surrounding tissue may be directly ablated. An additional risk, present even when the tumor is correctly targeted, is the possibility of thermal damage to the surrounding, non-targeted tissue. In radiofrequency or electrosurgical treatment, heat may dissipate into surrounding tissues which are more fragile and heat sensitive than the tissue in the organ being treated, thus causing unwanted tissue damage. These risks and others may be lessened or avoided with the use of an interface shield between the target region and adjacent body tissues to shield surrounding organs and tissue from treatment effects.