Patent ID: 7192427
Filing Date: 2007-03-20
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method of assessing the transmurality of an ablation lesion formed in targeted biological tissue by an instrument that radiates electrical ablative energy, said method comprising: operably positioning a first element relative to a first surface of the targeted tissue for transmitting an electrical signal therein; operably positioning a second element relative to a second tissue surface of the targeted tissue spaced away from the first element for receiving electrical signal from within the tissue transmitted from the first element; applying ablative energy to the targeted tissue through the instrument operatively separate from the first and second elements to form the ablation lesion therein; measuring a tissue characteristic related to at least one of conduction time, conduction velocity, phase angle, and impedance in response to the electrical signal received at the second element; and evaluating the tissue characteristic measurement to assess the transmurality of the ablation lesion.