Patent ID: 9358076
Filing Date: 2016-06-07
CPC Classification: A61B,A61M

Claim Text:
1. A method for ablating a nerve adjacent a renal artery, the method comprising: navigating a pre-shaped ablative element positioned at or near a distal end of a flexible, robotic, electromechanically steerable catheter into the renal artery in a collapsed configuration, using one or more control elements coupled to a proximal end of the steerable catheter; imaging targeted portions of the nerve from inside the renal artery to create an anatomic map of the targeted portions; using the anatomical map to create thereon an electrical map of the targeted portions relative to the renal artery, to assist in identification of selective denervation treatment locations within a renal plexus adjacent the renal artery; causing the pre-shaped ablative element to assume an expanded configuration within the renal artery to contact an inner wall of the renal artery in a pattern configured to address the targeted portions, based at least in part on the anatomic map and the electrical map; passing a current through the pre-shaped ablative element to ablate the nerve; and monitoring progress of ablation of the nerve, using the pre-shaped ablative element and the electrical map.