Patent ID: 8731684

Claim:
Apparatus for aligning an ablation catheter and a temperature probe relatively for an ablation procedure, said apparatus comprising an ablation catheter for ablating tissue at an ablation site in a patient's body, said catheter including a heating antenna; a temperature probe containing a heat sensing antenna and for placement in a body passage having a wall portion adjacent to the ablation site so that said heat sensing antenna is positioned opposite the heating antenna; a microwave source providing a pulse modulated microwave signal to one of said antennas, said modulated microwave signal being picked up by the other of said antennas; a radiometer having an input in circuit with the other of said antennas and an output; a synchronizing device in circuit with said source and said radiometer enabling the radiometer to synchronously detect said modulated microwave signal so that the radiometer output can provide an alignment signal whose strength reflects the degree of alignment of said antennas, and a generator for delivery power to said heating antenna to heat the tissue whereby the tissue emits thermal radiation which is picked up by the heat sensing antenna.