Programmable conformal transluminal ablation device for irregular remote small lesions

Development of micro-surgical robotic and high-resolution navigation techniques has enabled reach of micro-lesions in vivo. However, the small size, special shape, and location of these lesions make conformal treatment a challenge, especially for atherosclerotic lesion. A programmable conformal transluminal ablation device, including multi-channel and multi-level (MCML) radiofrequency (RF) system and RF balloon with circulating low-temperature flow inside, was designed to realize treatment for irregular remote lesions automatically. The system outputs different RF levels for each electrode. With embedding multi-physics-based algorithm, the system optimizes operating parameters and delivers energy accordingly for different targets, achieving sub-millimeter accuracy. Feasibility of the developed device was validated using both lesion-visible phantoms and ex vivo porcine vessels. For irregular lesions with different shapes and locations, the ablated region closely matched the target. The application of the developed system may also be extended for automatic programmable treatment of other transluminal targets such as lung cancer, and bladder cancer.