Abstract:
A prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device is provided. The prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device includes a probe unit and an electrode unit. The probe unit is adapted for introducing a saline solution into a patient&#39;s prostate gland. The electrode unit then conducts an electrochemical reaction on the saline solution introduced in the prostate gland to generate a strong acid solution and/or a strong alkaline solution for curing the prostate gland thereby.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a therapeutic device for curing prostatomegaly, and more particularly, to a prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device adapted for curing prostatomegaly symptom. 
         [0003]    2. The Prior Arts 
         [0004]    It is well known that when a direct current is applied between a positive electrode and a negative electrode positioned in a saline solution, the saline solution adjacent to the positive electrode presents a strong acidity, and the saline solution adjacent to the negative electrode presents a strong alkalinity. The saline solution presenting strong acidity obtained in this manner has outstanding performance in many applications. For example, it can be employed in disinfectant fluid, astringent cleaner, or for substituting metal cutting oil. It may even be used for agriculture purpose. For example, it can be absorbed by roots of plants. Therefore, the saline solution presenting strong acidity can be used as growth improving agent, disinsecting agent, for improving the harvest of crops, or even improving the taste or sugar degree of the crops. Furthermore, the saline solution presenting strong acidity or strong alkalinity has been applied for medical treatment and therapy, such as preventing MRSA infection, curing dermatitis, and cleaning and sterilizing endoscope. 
         [0005]    Generally, many organ removal operations which were typical surgical operations can be now conducted as percutaneous operations or laparoscopic operations in which the patients suffer much less physical and/or mental pains. 
         [0006]    Prostatomegaly symptom is often cured via the urethra, in that an electrotome, a laser probe or a freezing probe is inserted through the urethra to the prostate gland to conduct a resection operation or providing liquid nitrogen thereby for freezing treatment. 
         [0007]    Recently, microwave is also used as a therapeutic approach in curing prostatomegaly symptom. Specifically, a probe having several microwave antennas positioned therearound is inserted into the urethra, and microwaves are emitted from the antennas for heating treatment. Or alternatively, a part of the probe is provided with a conductor, so as to concentrate the generated heat, thus providing a more efficient heating treatment thereby. 
         [0008]    However, there are several therapeutic methods, such as the transurethral warm temperature treatment which heating temperature range is 41° C. to 44° C., the transurethral high temperature treatment which heating temperature range is higher than 50° C., and the transurethral ablation method which heating temperature is higher than 70° C. to vaporize the enlargement portion of the prostate gland. Further, the transurethral warm temperature treatment and transurethral high temperature treatment are also proposed to be used in curing rectum diseases. 
         [0009]    Unfortunately, all of the aforementioned therapeutic methods for curing the prostatomegaly symptom would not only more or less impair the urethra, but also extremely irritate the patient so that a local even a general anesthesia is required. However, the patients of the prostatomegaly symptom are often seniors who also suffer other diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes. When such senior patients are conducted with anesthesia, severe side effect may also occur, and therefore many patients are not encouraged or dare not to take the foregoing treatments. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device. When a patient is cured with such a prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device, the anesthesia is not required, the patient suffers much less pain, and the urethra can be protected from being impaired. 
         [0011]    For achieving the foregoing objective and others, the present invention provides a prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device. The prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device includes a probe unit and an electrode unit. The probe unit includes a front portion, a rear portion, a urine flow duct, and a balloon unit. The front portion is configured with a urination orifice, and the rear portion is configured with a solution inlet. The urine flow duct has a urine flow orifice configured at the front portion, and a urine drawing orifice configured at the rear portion and at an opposite side of the urine flow duct relative to the urine flow orifice. The balloon unit includes a balloon solution inlet configured at the rear portion, a balloon configured at the front portion, and a plurality of solution supply orifices configured at the front portion adjacent to the urination orifice. The balloon unit controls the balloon to inflate or deflate by inputting or outputting a distilled water from the balloon solution inlet. The balloon is made by a flexible material. 
         [0012]    The electrode unit has a switchable circuit structure and includes a power supply, a plurality of positive electrodes, a plurality of negative electrodes, a plurality of electrode elements, and a plurality of pH value sensors. The power supply is electrically connected with the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes. The positive electrodes and the negative electrodes are electrically coupled to the electrode elements via the rear portion. The electrode members are made of a shape memory alloy material, and include a layer of perfect conductive material plated thereon. The shapes of the electrode members can be arbitrarily varied so as for being compatible for any patient. The pH value sensors are provided together with the electrode elements at the solution supply orifices. The pH value sensors are adapted for instantly obtaining the pH values during the treatment or after the treatment. The detected pH values can be accorded for adjusting the current intensity, or the practical pH values. Each negative electrode is coated with an ion exchange membrane. The ion exchange membrane is adapted to insulate the positive electrode from the negative electrode, and allows anions and cations exchanging thereby, so as to further improve the strong acidity and the strong alkalinity. 
         [0013]    In operation, the front portion of the probe unit is inserted through the urethra into the prostate gland and the urinary bladder, until the solution supply orifices reach the prostate gland and the balloon reaches the urinary bladder. Then, a distilled water is inputted from the balloon solution inlet into the balloon so as to inflate the balloon. Then, a saline solution is filled therein from the solution inlet, during which the saline solution is guided from the rear portion to the front portion and out from the solution supply orifices and rest in the prostate gland. Then, the power supply is turned on, and the switchable circuit is adjusted, so as to maintain the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes conducted with a direct current to the electrode elements. An electrochemical reaction is raised by the electrode elements to the saline solution rested in the prostate gland, thus generating solutions with strong acidity and strong alkalinity respectively. The solutions with strong acidity and strong alkalinity respectively rest nearby the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes, respectively. They function to treat or cure the prostate gland thereby. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1A  is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe unit of a prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 1B  is a partial enlargement view of the prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation status of the prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0018]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawing illustrates embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serves to explain the principles of the invention. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1A  is a schematic diagram illustrating a probe unit of a prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1B  is a partial enlargement view of the prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device. Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device includes a probe unit  1 , and an electrode unit  2 . 
         [0020]    The probe unit  1  includes a front portion  11 , a rear portion  12 , a urine flow duct  13 , and a balloon unit  14 . The front portion  11  is configured with a urination orifice  100 , and the rear portion is configured with a solution inlet  10 . The urine flow duct  13  has a urine flow orifice  132  configured at the front portion  11 , and a urine drawing orifice  131  configured at the rear portion  12  and at an opposite side of the urine flow duct  13  relative to the urine flow orifice  132 . The balloon unit  14  includes a balloon solution inlet  140  configured at the rear portion  12 , a balloon  141  configured at the front portion  11 , and a plurality of solution supply orifices  101  configured at the front portion  11  adjacent to the urination orifice  100 . The balloon unit  14  controls the balloon  141  to inflate or deflate by inputting or outputting a distilled water from the balloon solution inlet  140 . The balloon is made by a flexible material. 
         [0021]    The electrode unit  2  has a switchable circuit structure (not shown in the drawings) and further includes a power supply  21 , a plurality of positive electrodes  22 , a plurality of negative electrodes  23 , a plurality of electrode elements  221 , and a plurality of pH value sensors (not shown in the drawings). The switchable circuit is adapted to switch or control the positive electrodes  22  or negative electrodes  23 . The power supply  21  is electrically connected with the positive electrodes  22  and the negative electrodes  23 . The positive electrodes  22  and the negative electrodes  23  are electrically coupled to the electrode elements  221  via the rear portion  12 . The electrode members  221  are made of a shape memory alloy material, and include a layer of perfect conductive material, e.g., metal, plated thereon. The shapes of the electrode members can be arbitrarily varied so as for being compatible for any patient. The pH value sensors are provided together with the electrode elements  221  at the solution supply orifices  101 . The pH value sensors are adapted for instantly obtaining the pH values during the treatment or after the treatment. The detected pH values can be accorded for adjusting the current intensity, or the practical pH values. Each negative electrode  23  is coated with an ion exchange membrane (not shown in the drawings). The ion exchange membrane is adapted for insulating the positive electrode  22  from the negative electrode  23 , and allows anions and cations exchanging thereby, so as to further improve the strong acidity and the strong alkalinity. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation status of the prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , in operation, the front portion  11  of the probe unit  1  is inserted through patient&#39;s urethra  91  into the prostate gland  92  and the urinary bladder  93 , until the solution supply orifices  101  reach the prostate gland  92  and the balloon  141  reaches the urinary bladder  93 . Then, a distilled water is inputted from the balloon solution inlet  140  into the balloon  141  so as to inflate the balloon  141 . Then, a saline solution is filled therein from the solution inlet  10 , during which the saline solution is guided from the rear portion  12  to the front portion  11  and out from the solution supply orifices  101  and rest in the prostate gland  92 . Then, the power supply  21  is turned on, and the switchable circuit is adjusted, so as to maintain the positive electrodes  22  and the negative electrodes  23  conducted with a direct current to the electrode elements  221 . An electrochemical reaction is raised by the electrode elements  221  to the saline solution rested in the prostate gland  92 , thus generating solutions with strong acidity and strong alkalinity respectively. The solutions with strong acidity and strong alkalinity respectively rest nearby the positive electrodes  22  and the negative electrodes  23 , respectively. They function to treat or cure the prostate gland  92  thereby. 
         [0023]    Preferably, the treatment lasts for 1.5 to 2 hours, and the prostate gland tissue can be reduced to about 5 millimeters to several centimeters. When a patient is cured with such a prostate gland electrochemical-therapeutic device, the anesthesia is not required, the patient suffers much less pain, and the urethra can be protected from being impaired. 
         [0024]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.