Patent ID: 8414501

Claim:
A rectal thermal monitor for transrectal prostate temperature measurement, the probe comprising: a handle arranged in a proximal end portion of the monitor for gripping by a user; an elongate shaft extending from the handle; an expandable distal probe portion arranged on a distal end of the shaft, at a position opposite the handle portion, shaped to facilitate insertion through an anal sphincter and into a rectum of a patient, the expandable distal probe portion including two probe halves and an inflatable bladder, each of the two probe halves arranged on a separate half of the shaft and configured to be slideable with respect to the other, each of the two probe halves disposed on an external portion of the shaft, the inflatable bladder arranged between the probe halves and configured to separate the probe halves; a cover element, covering at least a portion of the distal probe portion, the cover element being made from a resilient material; and a temperature sensing element arranged within the distal probe portion, beneath the cover element, adapted and configured to sense a temperature of the prostate of the patient through the rectum wall of the patient.