Properties of Electromagnetic Field Focusing Probe

The electromagnetic field focusing (EFF) apparatus consists of a radio fre quency generator, solenoidal coil, and a hand-held or catheter probe. Applica tions such as aneurysm treatment, angioplasty, and neurosurgery in various models have been reported. The probe is operated in the near field (within one wavelength of an electromagnetic field source) of a coil inducing eddy currents in biological tissues, producing maximal convergence of the induced current at the probe tip.The probe produces very high temperatures depending on the wattage se lected for the given radio frequency of output power.The high temperature can be used in cutting, cauterizing, or vaporizing. The EFF probe is comparable to different types of lasers and to bipolar and mono polar cautery. The EFF probe can be used with catheters or endoscopes. Objec tives of this study were to determine what the thermal properties of the EFF probe are and how instrument parameters can be varied to obtain different temperatures in the tissue near the...