High-frequency heating device and method of operating this device

Claim 1

A high-frequency heating device comprising: a first electrode structure (4) so adapted as to be disposed to the vicinity of a portion of a living body intended to be heated, and having a first electrode (11), a flexible bag-like member (12) surrounding said first electrode, a coolant supplying and discharging means (8, 9, 10, 34, 35, 37, 38) connected to said flexible bag-like member for supplying a coolant being an aqueous solution of an inorganic salt to an inside of said flexible bag-like member and for discharging said supplied coolant from said inside of said flexible bag-like member, and a temperature detecting means (22-26) attached to the outer surface of said flexible bag-like member for detecting the temperature of the living body tissues at said portion intended to be heated; a second electrode structure (5) adapted to be disposed on an outer circumference of a living body and to selectively heat said portion at the periphery of said first electrode structure in cooperation with said first electrode structure, and having a second electrode with an electrode area at least 5 times the area of said first electrode; a high-frequency power source (6) connected to said first electrode and said second electrode for supplying a high-frequency current to said first and second electrodes; and temperature control means (36) for controlling the temperature of the coolant supplied to said flexible bag-like member, characterised in that said temperature control means are adapted to control the temperature of the supplied coolant such that the temperature of said coolant within said flexible bag-like member becomes approximately equal to the temperature to which said living body tissues are intended to be heated, and said coolant supplying and discharging means is adapted to control the volume flow rate of said supplied coolant such that said volume flow rate of said supplied coolant is in the range of from 1 to 15 times the inner volume of said flexible bag-like member per minute, and is substantially equal to the blood volume flow rate in said living body tissues, and said coolant containing salt at a concentration in the range of from 15 m mol/l to 160 m mol/l.

Claim 4

A method of operating a high-frequency heating device comprising: a first electrode structure (4) so adapted as to be disposed to the vicinity of a portion of a living body intended to be heated, and having a first electrode (11), a flexible bag-like member (12) surrounding said first electrode, a coolant supplying and discharging means (8, 9, 10, 34, 35, 37, 38) connected to said flexible bag-like member for supplying a coolant being an aqueous solution of an inorganic salt to an inside of said flexible bag-like member and for discharging said supplied coolant from said inside of said flexible bag-like member, and a temperature detecting means (22-26) attached to the outer surface of said flexible bag-like member for detecting the temperature of the living body tissues at said portion intended to be heated; a second electrode structure (5) adapted to be disposed on an outer circumference of a living body and to selectively heat said portion at the periphery of said first electrode structure in cooperation with said first electrode structure, and having a second electrode with an electrode area at least 5 times the area of said first electrode; a high-frequency power source (6) connected to said first electrode and said second electrode for supplying a high-frequency current to said first and second electrodes; and temperature control means (36) for controlling the temperature of the coolant supplied to said flexible bag-like member, characterised in that said temperature control means are operated in such a manner that the temperature of said coolant within said flexible bag-like member becomes approximately equal to the temperature to which said living body tissues are intended to be heated, and said coolant supplying and discharging means are operated to control the volume flow rate of said supplied coolant such that said volume flow rate of said supplied coolant is in the range of from 1 to 15 times the inner volume of said flexible bag-like member per minute, and is substantially equal to the blood volume flow rate in said living body tissues, and said coolant containing salt at a concentration in the range of from 15 m mol/l to 160 m mol/l.