Method and system for menu-driven two-dimensional display lesion generator

Abstract

A high frequency generator system with a computer graphic two-dimensional user-interactable interface is achieved to allow selection of menus associated with the function, state, and output parameters of the high frequency generator system. A two-dimensional graphics display is coupled directly or remotely to a high frequency power source system which is further connected to electrodes in contact or proximity to the tissue of a patient's body. A two-dimensional display allows the user to see, in a compact, convenient, and comprehensive way, selection menus for use of the high frequency generator system, control of its parameters, monitoring of its processes during clinical application, and graphics displays related to historic or current image scan data and real-time monitoring of output parameters related to the application. Pre-set or user-selectable arrays of parameters can be selected through the two-dimensional user interface to the high frequency generator system. Real-time plotting of single or multiple output parameters as a function of time course during the clinical application can be graphically displayed on the two-dimensional display. Digital displays, alphanumeric streams of information, help menus, prompts, and sequences of menus may be selected by the two-dimensional interface through actuators on the interface or on the panel of the high frequency generator system. Several forms of the interface, user actuators, screen layouts, and methods for use of this system accommodate the specific objectives.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A computer graphic, high frequency generator system for performing clinical procedures on a patient's body and adapted for a two-dimensional user-interactive interface comprising: 
 a high frequency generator adapted to be connected to an electrode to be positioned in contact with the patient's body so that the output from the high voltage generator can be delivered to the patient's body to produce a clinical effect;    a two-dimensional computer graphic display comprising a two-dimensional display and a computer which are connected to said high frequency generator and adapted to display graphic curves associated with the output parameters of said high frequency generator and/or to display multiple lines of alphanumeric characters related to the process and parameters associated with the application of output from the said high frequency generator to said electrode;    a user-selectable menu interface and display associated with said two-dimensional computer graphic display to enable the operator of said high frequency generator to control and/or display the function and/or output of said high frequency generator.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said two-dimensional computer graphic display comprises a two-dimensional cathode ray tube (CRT) display.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said two-dimensional computer graphic display comprises a liquid crystal (LCD) display.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said two-dimensional computer graphic display is integrated with the control console of said high frequency generator.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said menu interface is adapted for user selection of operating parameters of said high frequency generator.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said menu interface is adapted to display the operating parameters of said high frequency generator.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein said two-dimensional display is adapted to display at least one of the output parameters of said high frequency generator on a two-dimensional graphic curve in which one axis of the two-dimensional graphic curve is a measure of time.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said two-dimensional computer graphic display is adapted to display image data developed from imaging of the patient's body by an imaging machine.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said two-dimensional computer graphic display is adapted to graphically display, as a function of time, the temperature of tissue of the patient's body near the position of said electrode as measured by a temperature sensor near said electrode.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said two-dimensional computer graphic display is adapted to graphically display, as a function of time, the measured value of one or more output parameters of said high frequency generator, simultaneously as a function of time, during the application of the output of said high frequency generator to said electrode.  
     
     
         11 . A computer graphic high frequency generator system for performing a clinical procedure on a patient's body and adapted for a two-dimensional, menu-driven user interface comprising: 
 a high frequency generator adapted to be connected to an electrode which is in contact with the patient's body to produce a clinical effect when the output of said high frequency generator is applied to the tissue of said patient's body through said electrode;    a two-dimensional display that is connected to said high frequency generator and is adapted to display a menu comprising at least two user-selectable options that can be selected to control the output of said high frequency generator.    
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said high frequency generator has a stimulator output mode and a high frequency non-stimulator output mode, and the at least two user-selectable options displayed on said two-dimensional graphics display comprise an option to select the stimulator mode and an option to select the high frequency, non-stimulator mode options.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said two-dimensional display is also adapted to display a representation of the output parameters of the output of said high frequency generator.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said two-dimensional display is also adapted to display selectable values of the output parameters corresponding to the output of said high frequency generator which can be selected by selector controls of said high frequency generator system.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the output parameters comprise stimulator output parameters from said high frequency generator to said electrode.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the output parameters comprise high frequency, non-stimulator output parameters from said high frequency generator to said electrode.  
     
     
         17 . A computer graphic, high frequency generator system for performing a clinical procedure on a patient's body and adapted for a two-dimensional, menu-driven user interface comprising: 
 a high frequency generator adapted to be connected to an electrode which is in contact with the patient's body to produce a clinical effect when the output of said high frequency generator is applied to the tissue of the patient's body through said electrode;    a two-dimensional display connected to said high frequency generator and adapted to display:    a representation related to the functional parameters of states of the high frequency generator;    a user-selectable menu option related to the operation and/or display of the high frequency generator system.    
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein said two-dimensional display is a separate modular unit, separated from the high voltage generator, whereby said two-dimensional display can be conveniently placed near the operator of said high frequency generator system during a clinical application.  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein said two-dimensional display is adapted to function near an MRI imaging machine whereby it can be used conveniently near the patient's body in the time period of imaging with an MR imaging machine so that the MRI images are not perturbed by said two-dimensional display.  
     
     
         20 . A process of using a high frequency generator system with an interactive, two-dimensional display interface in a clinical application comprising the steps of: 
 placing an electrode in connection to the tissue of a patient's body;    connecting the electrode to a high frequency generator with output that causes a clinical effect on the tissue of the patient when output from the high frequency generator is connected to the electrode, said high frequency generator having a connection to a two-dimensional display adapted with a user-interactive interface having representations of user-selectable menus and displays of output parameters associated with the output of said high frequency generator;    interacting with said high frequency generator and said two-dimensional display to select a menu option related to the output of said high frequency generator;    applying output of said high frequency generator to said electrode;    monitoring and/or controlling the output parameters on said two-dimensional display during application of said output to the patient's tissue through said electrode; and,    stopping said output of said high frequency generator when a desired clinical effect has been achieved,    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said two-dimensional display comprises a representation of selectable parameters relative to said output of said high frequency generator, and further including the step of selecting the selectable parameters by said two-dimensional display.