Patent ID: 8623014
Filing Date: 2014-01-07
Classification: A61B,A61F,A61N

Abstract:
1. A system for therapeutically heating a vertebral body to treat back pain, comprising: a trocar having a lumen, a curved cannula having an internal passageway and a first alignment member at a proximal portion of the curved cannula, a first stylet, a second stylet, a third stylet, wherein the first stylet is configured for insertion into the lumen of the trocar such that a distal end of the first stylet extends beyond a distal end of the trocar, wherein the extended distal end of the first stylet is sufficiently sharp to penetrate through a cortical shell of the vertebral body, wherein the cannula is configured to be inserted within the lumen of the trocar upon removal of the first stylet, wherein a distal end portion of the cannula is curved off axis, wherein a distal end portion of the second stylet is configured to curve to correspond to the curved distal end portion of the cannula upon insertion of the second stylet within the internal passageway of the cannula and advancement of a distal end of the second stylet to a distal end of the cannula, wherein the second stylet comprises a second alignment member configured to be aligned with the first alignment member of the cannula to facilitate proper alignment of corresponding curved distal end portions of the cannula and the second stylet, wherein the second stylet and the cannula are together configured to form a curved path toward a target location within an inner cancellous bone region of the vertebral body, wherein the third stylet comprises a straight channeling stylet configured to be inserted within the internal passageway of the cannula upon on removal of the second stylet, wherein a distal end of the third stylet is configured to be advanced out of the distal end of the cannula to form a linear path beyond the curved path; a bipolar radiofrequency (“RF”) energy delivery device having two electrodes configured to deliver RF energy to the target location; wherein the diameter of the internal passageway of the cannula is configured to receive the bipolar RF energy device, wherein the curved distal end portion of the cannula is configured to guide the two electrodes of the bipolar RF energy delivery device to the target location, and wherein the RF energy is configured to heat the target location sufficient to denervate a basivertebral nerve at the target location.