阅读说明：本技术 用于消融组织的3d打印、定制天线导航 (3D printing, customized antenna navigation for ablation of tissue ) 是由 张晶 Z·周 耿芳 欧建新 沈加昀 于 2018-07-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种消融系统包含消融天线、联接到消融天线的发生器,和定制导航系统。定制导航系统包含3D打印基座和天线支撑组合件。3D打印基座是为患者身体定制的且被配置成安装到所述患者身体。天线支撑组合件被配置成安装到3D打印基座。天线支撑组合件包含固定器,所述固定器可相对于3D打印基座选择性地移动且被配置成收纳穿过其的消融天线。(An ablation system includes an ablation antenna, a generator coupled to the ablation antenna, and a customized navigation system. The customized navigation system includes a 3D printing base and an antenna support assembly. The 3D printing base is customized for and configured to be mounted to a patient body. The antenna support assembly is configured to be mounted to a 3D printing base. The antenna support assembly includes a holder selectively movable relative to the 3D printing base and configured to receive an ablation antenna therethrough.)

1. An ablation system, comprising:

an ablation antenna;

a generator coupled to the ablation antenna; and

a customized navigation system, comprising:

a 3D printing base customized for and configured to be mounted to a patient body; and

an antenna support assembly configured to be mounted to the 3D printing base, the antenna support assembly including a holder selectively movable relative to the 3D printing base and configured to receive the ablation antenna therethrough.

2. The ablation system of claim 1, wherein the 3D printing base has a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface supporting an adhesive material.

3. The ablation system of claim 1, wherein the antenna support assembly includes a mounting ring secured to the 3D printing base.

4. The ablation system of claim 3, wherein the antenna support assembly includes a rotatable frame rotatably coupled to the mounting ring.

5. The ablation system of claim 4, wherein the rotatable frame comprises a ring and at least one arcuate member extending from the ring, the at least one arcuate member configured to support the holder.

6. The ablation system of claim 5, wherein the at least one bow includes first and second bows disposed in spaced-apart relation to define an arcuate channel in which the holder is received.

7. The ablation system of claim 6, wherein said first and second arcuate members are disposed in parallel relation to one another.

8. The ablation system of claim 6, wherein the holder is selectively slidably movable through the arcuate channel.

9. The ablation system of claim 1, wherein the antenna support assembly further includes a frame, and wherein the holder includes a rotatable knob movable relative to the frame to selectively lock the holder to the frame.

10. A customized navigation system, comprising:

a 3D printing base customized for and configured to be mounted to a patient body; and

an antenna support assembly configured to be mounted to the 3D printing base, the antenna support assembly including a holder selectively movable relative to the 3D printing base and configured to receive an ablation antenna therethrough.

11. The customized navigation system of claim 10, wherein the 3D printing base has a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface supporting an adhesive material.

12. The customized navigation system of claim 10, wherein the antenna support assembly includes a mounting ring secured to the 3D printing base.

13. The customized navigation system of claim 12, wherein the antenna support assembly includes a rotatable frame rotatably coupled to the mounting ring.

14. The customized navigation system of claim 13, wherein the rotatable frame comprises an annular member and at least one bow extending from the annular member, the at least one bow configured to support the holder.

15. The customized navigation system of claim 14, wherein the at least one bow includes a first bow and a second bow disposed in spaced apart relation to define an arcuate channel in which the holder is received.

16. The customized navigation system of claim 15, wherein the first and second bows are disposed in a parallel relationship to each other.

17. The customized navigation system of claim 15, wherein the holder is selectively slidably movable through the arcuate channel.

18. The customized navigation system of claim 10, wherein the antenna support assembly further includes a frame, and wherein the holder includes a rotatable knob movable relative to the frame to selectively lock the holder to the frame.

19. A method for navigating an ablation antenna, the method comprising:

determining patient-specific information;

inputting patient-specific information into a 3D printing device;

printing a base with the 3D printing device, the base being customized for the patient;

mounting the base and antenna support assembly to the patient; and

an antenna is advanced along the base and into the patient by a holder of the antenna support assembly.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising selectively moving the holder of the antenna support assembly relative to the base.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to ablation, and more particularly, to methods and devices for navigating an ablation device.

Background

The treatment of certain diseases requires the destruction of the growth of malignant tissue, such as tumors. In this regard, electrosurgical devices have been developed that utilize electromagnetic radiation to heat and destroy tumor cells. For example, an apparatus for ablation procedures includes an electrical power generation source, such as a microwave or Radio Frequency (RF) electrosurgical generator that acts as an energy source, and a surgical instrument (e.g., an ablation probe with an antenna assembly) for directing energy to target tissue. A cable assembly having a plurality of conductors is operatively coupled and transmits energy from the generator to the instrument. The cable assembly also conveys control, feedback, and identification signals between the instrument and the generator.

During treatment, the antenna assembly may be inserted into tissue in which cancer cells have been identified so that energy may be applied to the cancer cells to denature them. The challenge of achieving physician proficiency during such ablation procedures remains critical due to changes in patient body size and body movement caused by ventilation, for example, during liver cancer ablation procedures. Accordingly, there is a need to develop advanced ablation planning and navigation tools that can improve the specificity and accuracy of ablation procedures and physician proficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an ablation system includes an ablation antenna, a generator coupled to the ablation antenna, and a customized navigation system. The customized navigation system includes a 3D printing base and an antenna support assembly. The 3D printing base is customized for and configured to be mounted to a patient body. The antenna support assembly is configured to be mounted to a 3D printing base. The antenna support assembly includes a holder selectively movable relative to the 3D printing base and configured to receive an ablation antenna therethrough.

In some embodiments, the 3D printing base may have a top surface and a bottom surface. The bottom surface may support an adhesive material.

In an embodiment, the antenna support assembly may include a mounting ring secured to the 3D printing base. The antenna support assembly may include a rotatable frame rotatably coupled to the mounting ring. The rotatable frame may include a ring and one or more bows extending from the ring. The one or more bows may be configured to support a holder. The one or more bows can include a first bow and a second bow disposed in spaced apart relation to define an arcuate channel in which the retainer is received. The first and second bow members may be disposed in parallel relationship to each other. The holder is selectively slidably movable through the arcuate channel.

In some embodiments, the antenna support assembly may further include a frame. The holder may include a rotatable knob movable relative to the frame to selectively lock the holder to the frame.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for navigating an ablation antenna is provided. The method comprises the following steps: the method includes the steps of determining patient-specific information, inputting the patient-specific information into a 3D printing device, printing a base with the 3D printing device, the base being customized for the patient, mounting the base and antenna support assembly to the patient, and advancing an antenna along the base and into the patient through a holder of the antenna support assembly.

The method may further involve selectively moving a holder of the antenna support assembly relative to the base.

Advantageously, the disclosed systems and methods enable clinicians to increase surgical proficiency and accuracy through patient-specific customization. In particular, the disclosed systems and methods provide increased stability and accuracy to increase efficiency.

Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosed ablation system and, together with a general description of the disclosure given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a side view of an ablation system provided in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an electronic image of a portion of a patient's body with a portion of an ablation system supported thereon;

fig. 3A and 3B are side and top views, respectively, of a custom 3D printed base of the ablation system of fig. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a custom navigation system incorporating the custom 3D printing base of FIGS. 3A and 3B;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an antenna support assembly of the customized navigation system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5A taken along section line 5B-5B illustrated in FIG. 5;

fig. 6A is a side view of the holder of the antenna support assembly of fig. 5A, showing the holder with its knob removed for clarity;

FIG. 6B is a top perspective view of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the customized navigation system of FIG. 4 mounted to a patient's body;

fig. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an antenna support assembly;

FIG. 9A is a top view of a lock of the antenna support assembly of FIG. 8; and

9B-9D are progressive views illustrating the lock of FIG. 9 being moved between different positions.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent the same or corresponding elements in each of the several views. As used herein, the term "distal" refers to that portion of the structure that is farther from the user, while the term "proximal" refers to that portion of the structure that is closer to the user. Additionally, as used herein, the term "clinician" refers to a doctor, nurse, or any other healthcare worker and may include support personnel.

In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the disclosure in unnecessary detail.

An ablation system is described herein that improves specificity and accuracy of an ablation procedure.

The embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to the use of any particular tissue or organ, such as the liver or kidney, for treatment. For example, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may be used to treat pancreatic tissue, gastrointestinal tissue, interstitial masses, and/or other parts of the body that may be treated via ablation.

Additionally, although the various methods described below target microwave ablation and complete destruction of the target tissue, it should be understood that the methods for directing electromagnetic radiation may be used with other therapies in which the target tissue is partially destroyed or damaged, for example, to prevent conduction of electrical impulses within cardiac tissue. Furthermore, the teachings of the present disclosure may be applied to monopole, dipole, helical, or other suitable types of microwave antennas or RF electrodes.

Electromagnetic energy is generally classified by increasing energy or decreasing wavelength into radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, and gamma rays. As used in this description, "microwave" generally refers to electromagnetic waves having a frequency in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) (3x 108 cycles/sec) to 300 gigahertz (GHz) (3x 1011 cycles/sec). Further, as used herein, "ablation procedure" generally refers to any ablation procedure, such as microwave ablation, Radio Frequency (RF) ablation, or microwave or RF ablation-assisted ablation.

Referring now to fig. 1, an ablation system 10 of the present disclosure is depicted. Ablation system 10 includes: a computing device 100 storing one or more ablation planning and electromagnetic tracking applications; a touch display computer 110; an ablation generator 115; a surgical table 120 containing an Electromagnetic (EM) field generator 121; a second display 130; an imaging sensor 140; an imaging workstation 150; an ablation antenna assembly 160; and a base unit 170 configured to support the computing device 100, the ablation generator 115, and the touch display computer 110.

The computing device of the ablation system 10 may be, for example, any suitable laptop computer, desktop computer, tablet computer, or other similar device, and may contain one or more of any suitable electrical or computer components, such as a memory, a processor, a display, a network interface, an input device, an output module, and the like, or combinations thereof.

For example, the memory may include any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing data and/or software that may be executed by the processor and that controls the operation of the computing device 100 and/or the touch display computer 110. In an embodiment, the memory may store an application that, when executed by the processor, may cause a display (e.g., display 130) to present a user interface. The memory may comprise one or more solid state storage devices, such as flash memory chips. Alternatively, or in addition to one or more solid state storage devices, the memory may include one or more mass storage devices connected to the processor through any suitable mass storage controller (not shown) and communication bus (not shown). Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to solid-state storage, those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer-readable storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a processor. That is, computer-readable storage media includes non-transitory, volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. By way of example, computer-readable storage media includes RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-Ray or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the workstation 150.

The network interface (not shown) may be configured to connect to a network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), comprised of a wired and/or wireless network, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless mobile network, a bluetooth network, and/or the internet. The input device (not shown) may be any device by which a user may interact with the computing device 100 and/or the touch display computer 110 (e.g., a touch screen of the touch display computer 110), or may include another device coupled thereto, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a foot pedal, and/or a voice interface. The output module (not shown) may include any connectivity port or bus, such as a parallel port, serial port, Universal Serial Bus (USB), or any other similar connectivity port.

The touch display computer 110 of the ablation system 10 is configured to control the generator 115, the ablation antenna assembly 160, and other accessories and peripherals associated with or forming part of the ablation system 10. The touch display computer 110 is configured to present a user interface, for example, on a display such as the display 130, enabling a clinician to input instructions and settings for the ablation generator 115, display images and/or messages related to the performance of the ablation generator 115, the progress of the procedure, and issue problem alerts or warnings related thereto.

The surgical table 120 of the ablation system 10 may be any table suitable for use during a surgical procedure that, in certain embodiments, includes or is associated with an EM field generator 121. The EM field generator 121 is used to generate an EM field during an ablation procedure and forms part of an EM tracking system for tracking the position of surgical instruments (e.g., the ablation antenna assembly 160 and the imaging sensor 140) within the EM field around and within the patient's body. A display 130 associated with the computing device 100 may be used to display imaging (e.g., ultrasound) and provide visualization of the tissue to be treated as well as navigation of the ablation antenna assembly 160. However, it is contemplated that the touch display computer 110 and computing device 100 may be used for imaging and navigation purposes in addition to its ablation generator 115 control functions discussed above.

The ablation antenna assembly 160 of the ablation system 10 includes an antenna 162 for ablating tissue, such as a target site, by using energy (e.g., microwaves) to heat the tissue in order to denature or kill cancer cells. Additionally, although an exemplary ablation antenna assembly 160 is disclosed herein, it is contemplated that other suitable ablation antennas may be utilized in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, U.S. patent application publication No. 2016/0058507 entitled MICROWAVE ABLATION System (MICROWAVE ABLATION System) filed by Dickhans on 8/18/2015, International application No. PCT/US15/46729 filed by Dickhans on 25/8/2015, THE ABLATION antennas and systems described in united states patent No. 9,247,992 issued to landkow et al at 2.2016, entitled MICROWAVE ABLATION catheter and METHOD OF using THE SAME (MICROWAVE ABLATION catheter CATHETER AND METHOD OF utilzing THE SAME), and united states patent No. 9,119,650 issued to Brannan et al at 9.2015, 1, entitled MICROWAVE ENERGY delivery device and system (MICROWAVE ENERGY-DELIVERY DEVICE AND SYSTEM), each OF which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may be used in conjunction with aspects and features OF THE present disclosure.

The ablation antenna assembly 160 of the ablation system 10 is coupled to the ablation generator 115 of the ablation system 10 via the flexible coaxial cable 116. The ablation generator 115 is configured to provide energy (e.g., microwaves) to the antenna 162 at an operating frequency from about 915MHz to about 2.45GHz, although other suitable frequencies are also contemplated.

The antenna 162 of the ablation antenna assembly 160 may be visualized using the imaging workstation 150 of the ablation system 10. The imaging sensor 140 of the ablation system 10 (which may be, for example, an ultrasound wand) may be used to image the patient's body "B" during an ablation procedure to visualize the location of the antenna 162 within the patient's body "B". The imaging sensor 140 may have an EM tracking sensor embedded within or attached to it, such as a clip-on sensor or a stick-on sensor. Imaging sensor 140 may be positioned relative to antenna 162 of ablation antenna assembly 160 such that antenna 162 is at an angle to the image plane, thereby enabling the clinician to view the spatial relationship of antenna 162 to the image plane and to the object being imaged. In addition, the EM tracking system may also track the position of the imaging sensor 140. This spatial depiction of the imaging sensor 140 and antenna 162 is described in more detail in U.S. patent application publication No. 2016/0317224 entitled method FOR MICROWAVE ABLATION planning and surgery (METHODS FOR MICROWAVE ABLATION PLANNING AND PROCEDURE) filed by Girotto on 2016, 4, 15, which is incorporated herein by reference. During surgery, one or more imaging sensors 140 may be placed on or within the patient's body "B". As such imaging sensor 140 and antenna 162 move relative to each other, the EM tracking system may then track their positions. It is also contemplated that the imaging workstation 150 and its associated components may be interchangeable with other imaging devices such as real-time fluoroscopy, MRI, or CT imaging stations.

The ablation system 10 further includes a 3D printing device 180 and a customized navigation system 200 that is mountable to the patient "P".

Since body size, tumor size, and tumor location are patient-specific features, patient-by-patient, the clinician must carefully plan the appropriate instrument location (e.g., ablation antenna insertion point, angle, depth, etc.) for performing the ablation procedure. And since each patient is different, it is difficult for the clinician to effectively perform the ablation procedure in view of the specificity and accuracy required. To improve the proficiency of such clinicians, the clinicians may collect patient-specific information, e.g., via imaging via the imaging device 150 and/or via evaluation (e.g., from physical examination, patient medical history, etc.). Such information may be compared to other patient data and/or collected from one or more patient information databases that may contain information from the same or different patients.

Referring also to fig. 2, 3A, 3B, and 4, after analyzing such information and determining an optimal location "O" along the patient's body "B" to effectively approximate the tumor "T" for tumor ablation, the 3D printing device 180 can be used to generate a customized 3D printing base 202 of the customized navigation system 200 (fig. 1) that is configured to conform to the patient's body surface contour "C" adjacent to the optimal location "O" along the patient's body "B". For example, such a custom or custom contour is determined based on computer modeling of the patient body surface contour "C". Such computer modeling may be generated via any suitable application, software, etc. (e.g., CAD), etc., which may be coupled directly or indirectly to or part of the 3D printing device 180. This customization may be generated using, for example, simulated or electronic information established with the imaging device 150, the computing device 100, or a network to which it is connected and/or a database thereof, and/or a physical examination of the patient "P". The 3D printing device 180 is configured to manufacture (e.g., print) a custom 3D printing base 202. For a more detailed description of 3D printing devices, reference may be made to U.S. patent publication No. 2012/0201960, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, for example.

The custom 3D printing base 202 is used to mount the antenna support assembly 204 of the custom navigation system 200 to the patient's body "B" such that the antenna support assembly 204 can movably and/or fixedly position and/or support the ablation antenna assembly 160 at an optimal location "O" along the patient's body "B" (e.g., for mounting on the patient "P", inserting the antenna 162 of the antenna support assembly 204 into the patient "P", and/or advancing the antenna 162 through the patient "P" to the tumor "T"). By customizing the custom 3D printing base 202, the custom 3D printing base 202 may have any suitable shape and/or size including, for example, any suitable polygonal, linear, circular, non-circular, arcuate configuration, or the like, or combinations thereof. The custom 3D printing base 202 may contain a central opening 202a defined therethrough for direct access to the patient's body. In some embodiments, the custom 3D printing base 202 may contain a plurality of openings defined therethrough, and the openings are positioned at one or more suitable locations along the base for accessing the patient's body "B". In certain embodiments, the custom 3D printing base 202 may not have an opening, but may be formed of any suitable material or combination of materials configured to enable access through the custom 3D printing base 202. In some embodiments, the custom 3D printing base 202 may include perforations, frangible portions, and the like, or combinations thereof.

As seen in fig. 3A, the bottom surface of the custom 3D printed base 202 may include an adhesive 202x or the like that may be laminated and/or coated thereon to facilitate fastening of the custom 3D printed base 202 to the patient's body "B". Indeed, any suitable fastening technique (e.g., fastening, stitching, adhesive, etc., or combinations thereof) may be used to fasten the custom 3D printed base 202 to the patient's body "B".

Referring now to fig. 4-7, the customized navigation system 200 of the ablation system 10 includes a customized 3D printing base 202 and an antenna support assembly 204 mounted to the customized 3D printing base 202. The antenna support assembly 204 of the customized navigation system 200 includes a mounting ring 206 that rotatably supports a rotatable frame 208. The antenna support assembly 204 further includes a holder 210 movably mounted to the rotatable frame 208 and selectively securable thereto. The mounting ring 206 of the antenna support assembly 204 may include an adhesive material (not shown) supported on a bottom surface thereof to facilitate fastening to a top surface of the custom 3D printing base 202. In some embodiments, the adhesive material may be laminated and/or coated on the bottom surface of the mounting ring 206. Additionally or alternatively, the mounting ring 206 may be secured to the top surface of the custom 3D printing base 202 via any suitable fastening technique (e.g., fastening, friction fit, snap fit, etc., or combinations thereof). The top surface of the custom 3D printing base 202 and/or the bottom surface of the mounting ring 206 may include mounting structures (e.g., grooves, tabs, pins, protrusions, openings, etc., or combinations thereof) to facilitate such fastening.

The rotatable frame 208 of the antenna support assembly 204 is rotatably mounted to the mounting ring 206, as indicated by arrow "Z", and is selectively lockable relative to the mounting ring 206 by a lock 212 including a locking screw 212 a. The locking screw 212a is positioned to be rotatably rotated into and out of a threaded opening 206b defined in the mounting ring 206, as indicated by arrows "L1" and "L2" (fig. 7). The rotatable frame 208 includes a ring 208a rotatably supported in the internal channel 206a of the mounting ring 206 via a flange 208d (e.g., a tongue and groove configuration). The inner passage 206a is annular. A flange 208d extends radially outward from an outer surface of the ring 208a and is positioned to frictionally engage the lock screw 212a such that the lock screw 212a prevents the rotatable frame 208 from rotating relative to the mounting ring 206 when the lock screw 212a and the flange 208d are frictionally engaged (see fig. 5B). Locking screw 212a may be tightened or loosened relative to a top surface of flange 208d as desired to selectively rotationally fix rotatable frame 208 (or limit rotational movement of the rotatable frame depending on the degree to which locking screw 212a is tightened or loosened). Upon disengagement of flange 208d and locking screw 212a, rotatable frame 208 is free to rotate about a central longitudinal axis "CA-CA" (fig. 4) of rotatable frame 208.

Rotatable frame 208 further includes first and second arcuate members 208b, 208c extending from ring member 208 a. First and second arcuate members 208b, 208c are disposed in spaced and parallel relation relative to one another to define an arcuate channel 208d between respective interior surfaces of first and second arcuate members 208b, 208 c. Arcuate channel 208 is positioned to slidably receive holder 210 therealong, as indicated by arrow "Y".

The holder 210 of the antenna support assembly 204 includes a rotatable knob 210a on its proximal end threadably coupled to a boss 210b extending proximally from a guide 210f supported on a platform 210c of the antenna support assembly 204. The rotatable knob 210a of the holder 210 rotates about the protuberance 210b to axially translate the rotatable knob 210a relative to the guide 210f or the platform 210c to selectively secure the holder 210 to the first and second arcuate members 208b, 208 c. A rotatable knob 210a extends radially outward over the top surfaces of the first and second bows 208b, 208c to selectively frictionally engage the top surfaces of the first and second bows 208b, 208c with the bottom surface of the rotatable knob 210 a. Specifically, as the rotatable knob 210a is rotated in a first direction (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise) as indicated by "X1" and translated axially toward the guide 210f of the platform 210c, for example, in the approaching direction, the first and second bows 208b, 208c are captured between the top surface of the platform 210c and the bottom surface of the rotatable knob 210 a. And when the rotatable knob 210a is rotated in a second direction (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise), as indicated by "X2" and may be opposite the first direction, and translated axially away from (e.g., unapproximated by) the platform 210c, the bottom surface of the rotatable knob 210a disengages from the top surfaces of the first and second bows 208b, 208c, while the top surface of the platform 210c disengages from the bottom surfaces of the first and second bows 208b, 208 c. Once the holder 210 is disengaged from the rotatable frame 208, e.g., not frictionally engaged therewith, but loosely coupled thereto, the holder 210 may be slid along the first and second bows 208b, 208c for adjusting the position of the holder 210 relative to the rotatable frame 208. Specifically, the guide 210f of the retainer 210 includes flat side surfaces 210g, 210f (fig. 6B) that support the retainer 210 between the inner side surfaces of the first and second arcuate pieces 208B, 208c to facilitate slidable movement therealong. The holder 210 may be re-secured to the rotatable frame 208, for example, via an approximated rotation of the rotatable knob 210a into frictional engagement therewith, as desired. Readjustment may be repeated as needed.

The holder 210 of the antenna support assembly 204 further includes an elongated tube 210d extending distally from the platform 210 b. The holder 210 also includes a central channel 210e defined therein that extends centrally through the elongate tube 210d, the platform 210c, the guide 210f, and the rotatable knob 210 a. The central channel 210e of the holder 210 is configured to receive the antenna 162 of the ablation antenna assembly 160 such that the holder 210 can direct the antenna 162 toward the tumor "T" within the patient's body "B".

In use, referring to fig. 1-6, once the customized navigation system 200 is secured to the patient's body "B" and the desired path for advancing the antenna 162 of the ablation antenna assembly 160 into the patient's body "B" is identified, the rotatable frame 208 of the antenna support assembly 204 may be rotated relative to the mounting ring 206 of the antenna support assembly 204 and selectively secured thereto via the lock 212. Additionally or alternatively, the holder 210 of the antenna support assembly 204 may be selectively slid along the rotatable frame 208 and selectively secured thereto via a rotatable knob 210a, as desired. Once the rotatable frame 208 and the holder 210 are positioned as desired (e.g., to enable the antenna 162 of the ablation antenna assembly 160 to be advanced through the holder 210 along a desired path), the antenna 162 may be advanced through the central channel 210e of the holder 210 and along the desired path to enter the tumor "T" for ablating the tumor "T" upon selective activation of the antenna 162. The holder 210 and/or rotatable frame 208 may be adjusted and selectively fixed in various positions as needed to achieve different antenna approach angles for accessing the tumor "T". Once ablation is complete, the antenna 162 and customized navigation system 200 are then removed so that wound closure can be achieved.

Referring to fig. 8-9D, another embodiment of an antenna support assembly is generally referred to as an antenna support assembly 300. The antenna support assembly 300 is substantially similar to the antenna support assembly 300, but includes a lock 312. The lock 312 includes a lock switch 312a pivotally supported on the mounting ring 206 via a pin 312 b. The lock switch 312a includes a locking surface 312c positioned to selectively engage the outer surface 208x of the ring 208a of the rotatable frame 208 to selectively lock the rotatable frame 208 in place. The locking surface 312c may be defined by one or more radii and/or diameters, which may be the same or different. For example, the locking surface 212c may include a first radius "r 1", a second radius "r 2", a third radius "r 3", and a fourth radius "r 4", each of which may be the same or different from each other. For example, "r 2" may be greater than "r 3" while "r 3" is greater than "r 4", and all of these are greater than "r 1".

As seen in fig. 9B, when the locking switch 312a is in the first position, the locking surface 312c is spaced from the outer surface 208x such that the rotatable frame 208 is free to rotate relative to the mounting ring 206, as indicated by arrow "R1". Referring to fig. 9C, when the locking switch 312 is in the second position, the outer surface 208x and the locking surface 312C are in slight frictional contact with each other, thereby tightening or restricting the rotatable movement of the rotatable frame 208 relative to the mounting ring 206 and the locking switch 312, as indicated by arrow "R2", while enabling some rotatable movement of the rotatable frame 208 relative to the mounting ring 206. As seen in fig. 9D, when the lock switch 312 is in the third position, the outer surface 208X and the locking surface 312c are frictionally locked together such that the rotatable frame 208 is rotatably fixed in position relative to the mounting ring 206, as indicated by the "X".

Fastening any component of the devices described herein to any other component of the devices described herein can be accomplished using known fastening techniques, such as welding (e.g., ultrasonic), crimping, gluing, fastening, interference fit, snap fit, and the like, or combinations thereof.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the structures and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments and that the description, disclosure, and drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative of specific embodiments only. It is to be understood, therefore, that this disclosure is not limited to the precise embodiments described, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. Additionally, elements and features shown or described in connection with certain embodiments may be combined with elements and features of certain other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present disclosure is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described.