Patent ID: 7462179

Claim:
A method of treating a lower esophageal sphincter, comprising: providing an expandable member sized to be positionable at or near a lower esophageal sphincter in a compacted condition and being sized and configured to expand to an expanded condition to non-permanently dilate the lower esophageal sphincter, and an energy delivery device coupled to the expandable member comprising at least one tissue-piercing needle electrode sized and configured for deployment between a retracted position and an extended position, coupling a source of radio-frequency energy to the energy delivery device, introducing the expandable member to a tissue region at or near the lower esophageal sphincter in the compacted condition and with the at least one tissue-piercing needle electrode in the retracted position, expanding the expandable member to the expanded condition to dilate the lower esophageal sphincter, deploying the at least one tissue-piercing needle electrode to the extended position to pierce sub-mucosal tissue at or near the lower esophageal sphincter, delivering energy from the source of radio-frequency energy to the at least one needle-piercing electrode to cause necrosis of the sub-mucosal tissue due to resistance heating at or near the lower esophageal sphincter and produce at least one sub-mucosal lesion to thereby selectively tighten the lower esophageal sphincter, returning the expandable member to the compacted condition and the at least one tissue-piercing electrode to the retracted position, and removing the expandable member from the tissue region.