Patent ID: 8585695

Claim:
A system comprising: a first catheter which has a lumen; and a second catheter configured to fit within the lumen of the first catheter; wherein one of the first and second catheters is a noncontact ablation catheter, the noncontact ablation catheter having an ablation element configured to radiate energy without reflection from the ablation element to target tissue, wherein the ablation element is further configured to radiate energy simultaneously only into a predefined circumferential or semi-circumferential pattern, wherein the noncontact ablation catheter is configured to be positioned with no part of the noncontact ablation catheter touching the target tissue; wherein at least one of the first and second catheters is a positioning catheter; wherein the ablation element is configured to radiate energy substantially perpendicularly to an axis of the noncontact ablation catheter, thereby producing a circumferential or semi-circumferential lesion; wherein the positioning catheter includes one or more electrodes configured to record and measure electrical characteristics and one or more electronic units configured to perform recording, measurement and stimulation functions, wherein the one or more electronic units are coupled to the one or more electrodes and configured to receive signals from the one or more electrodes and deliver electrical stimuli via the one or more electrodes to the tissue; wherein the ablation catheter comprises one or more additional electrodes, wherein the one or more electronic units are coupled to the one or more additional electrodes and configured to receive signals from the one or more additional electrodes and deliver electrical stimuli via the one or more additional electrodes to the tissue.