Patent ID: 7959629

Claim:
A tissue ablation system comprising: a medical probe assembly for ablating tissue comprising: a substantially rigid elongated member having a distal end; first and second of electrode elements mechanically coupled to the distal end of the substantially rigid elongated member, wherein the second electrode element is located proximal to the first electrode element; a third electrode element mechanically coupled to the substantially rigid elongated member at a location between the first and second electrode elements, the third electrode element having a planar configuration arranged generally orthogonal to a long axis of the substantially rigid elongated member; a radiofrequency generator comprising: a radiofrequency ablation source; and a controller operatively coupled to a switch and configured to selectively couple at least one of the first and second electrode elements or the third electrode element to the radiofrequency ablation source and selectively couple at least one of the remaining electrode elements to ground.