Patent ID: 9155589
Filing Date: 2015-10-13
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: positioning a treatment element within a blood vessel lumen adjacent target tissue at a treatment site of a body, the treatment element comprising a plurality of electrodes defining an electrode set and arranged relative to one another at the treatment element; maintaining a position of the treatment element relative to target tissue at the treatment site of the body during ablation; and switchably activating and deactivating the electrodes in a predetermined sequence to generate overlapping zones of heating directed at the target tissue; the zones of heating overlapping to define a distal zone associated with relatively high current densities at a distance from the treatment element sufficient to ablate the target tissue and a proximal zone associated with current densities lower than those of the distal zone that cause no or negligible thermal injury to tissue at the treatment site adjacent the treatment element.