Patent ID: 8679106

Claim:
An angioplasty and tissue ablation apparatus comprising: a catheter adapted for insertion into a body vessel of a patient, the catheter having a proximal end, a proximal portion extending from the proximal end, a distal portion having a distal end, and a lumen between the proximal portion and the distal end for receiving a fluid; a radio-frequency (“RF”) antenna mounted on'the distal portion of the catheter and spaced radially outward from the lumen, the RF antenna having a proximal end and a distal end, the RF antenna adapted to receive and generate radio-frequency energy for ablating the biological tissues of the body vessel; an RF transmission line which extends from the proximal portion of the catheter to the RF antenna and which transmits RF energy from the proximal portion to the RF antenna; a guide tube extending through the lumen and spaced radially inwardly from the RF antenna, the guide tube defining an annular passageway in the lumen outside the guide tube, the annular passageway having an open distal end spaced forward from the proximal end of the antenna; the guide tube having a distal end portion projecting forward from the open distal end of the passageway and the distal end of the catheter; a guide wire extending through the guide tube; and a balloon having a distal end sealingly mounted on the projecting distal end portion of the guide tube at a location spaced forward from the distal end of the catheter and a proximal end sealingly mounted on the distal end portion of the catheter adjacent the proximal end of the antenna, whereby the RF antenna is inside the balloon and the interior of the balloon is in communication with the annular passageway, the annular passageway comprising a fluid injection and extraction path through which fluid is supplied to inflate the balloon and fluid is extracted to collapse the balloon.