Patent ID: 6972015

Claim:
A method for treating a diseased region of a blood vessel to a desired tissue treatment temperature range, the diseased region of the blood vessel having occlusive material between a vessel lumen and a vessel wall, the method comprising: measuring a thickness of the occlusive material between the vessel lumen and the vessel wall; positioning a balloon catheter within the vessel lumen adjacent the occlusive material; selecting an outer surface temperature to compensate for the thickness of the occlusive material, the outer surface temperature being lower than the target tissue temperature range; introducing a cooling fluid into the balloon catheter such that the cooling fluid vaporizes and cools an inner balloon catheter surface, an outer balloon catheter surface being disposed over the inner balloon catheter surface; controlling vaporization within the balloon so as to cool the outer surface of the balloon catheter below the target tissue temperature range according to the selected outer surface temperature such that the temperature of the vessel wall is within the target temperature range.