Patent ID: 7833220

Claim:
A method of thermotherapy for treating tissue adjacent a bodily conduit comprising the steps of: inserting a catheter containing an energy-emitting source into a bodily conduit so that the energy-emitting source is positioned adjacent a region of tissue to be treated so that focused energy from the energy-emitting source heats the tissue to be treated adjacent the bodily conduit, the catheter defining a central lumen and the energy-emitting source disposed within the central lumen; inflating a compression balloon disposed on the catheter with a circulating fluid at a temperature in the range of approximately 30° C. to approximately 60° C. to a pressure sufficient to expand the bodily conduit walls and to compress the tissue to be treated while the energy-emitting source is controlled to heat the tissue, the inflating including circulating the fluid into the compression balloon via a plurality of inlets disposed at a first location near a proximal end portion of the compression balloon and out of the compression balloon and into the central lumen of the catheter via a plurality of outlets disposed at second location near a distal portion of the compression balloon, the first location being disposed proximally of the second location, the plurality of outlets in fluid communication with the central lumen; injecting a drug encapsulated within a heat-sensitive carrier within the region of the tissue to be treated; and heating, via the energy-emitting source, a portion of the tissue to be treated to a temperature of approximately 43° C. for a time sufficient to destroy the heated portion of the tissue to be treated, the heat activating the heat-sensitive carrier to release the encapsulated drug such that the drug targets the tissue to be treated.