Patent ID: 8256428

Claim:
A method for treating target tissue comprising: introducing into a patient a distal end of a catheter comprising: a catheter shaft comprising an elongated tubing having proximal and distal ends, a distal shaft comprising a tubing having proximal and distal ends, wherein the distal shaft carries a treatment device having a surface along a side of the distal shaft, the treatment device comprising a porous electrode arrangement, an intermediate shaft extending between the catheter shaft and the distal shaft, wherein the intermediate shaft is more flexible than both the catheter shaft and the distal shaft; a hinge comprising a flexible tubing mounted on the intermediate shaft, wherein the flexible tubing comprises an expandable side and a compressible side opposite the expandable side, the flexible tubing comprising at least one slot on the expandable side and at least one slot on the compressible side that enable the intermediate shaft to reversibly bend relative to the catheter shaft from a neutral straight position in a first direction only in a single plane and only in a single direction as defined by the at least one slot on the expandable side and the at least one slot on the compressible side, the hinge being configured to prohibit bending of the intermediate shaft from the neutral position in a second direction opposite the first direction and to prohibit bending of the intermediate section in the first direction by more than about 90° relative to the catheter shaft; identifying the target tissue and orienting the treatment device toward the target tissue; activating the hinge to bend in the single plane and in the single direction to thereby cause at least a portion of the surface of the treatment device to contact the tissue; and treating the tissue with the treatment device.