METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXTERNAL NON-INVASIVE HEATING OF METALLIC IMPLANTS BY USE OF ALTERNATING MAGNETIC FIELDS

摘要

The described invention is a system that generates alternating magnetic field of appropriate power and frequency, and then direct it to a human body or animal where a metallic implant (stent) or other metal has been previously implanted. The magnetic field power is continuously controlled by a computer with special software. As the magnetizing force changes periodically, the magnetic flux inside the metal lags behind due to its magnetic retentivity. Therefore, to overcome this resistance, energy is spent which appears on the metal as heat. This heat production regards only metals and leave intermediate tissues and non-metallic materials unaffected. In other words, we manage to heat non-invasively implanted metals up to the desired temperature. Heating of such implanted metals, like stents, is possible to reverse restenosis process in stented vessels. In some metals, heating can change their geometry, property which can be useful in Medicine. Finally, the application of the non-invasive heating could prove to be a new method for treating other modalities, like cancer, etc.