Patent ID: 8579891

Claim:
A device for thermally-induced hepatic neuromodulation to decrease blood glucose levels within a subject, comprising: a catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end and a lumen extending from the proximal end to the distal end, wherein the catheter body is configured for percutaneous, intravascular placement within a hepatic artery branch; and an articulatable portion at the distal end of the catheter body, at least one articulation wire extending from the proximal end of the body and being coupled to the articulatable portion, wherein the at least one articulation wire is configured to bend the articulatable portion at the distal end of the catheter body, wherein the articulatable portion comprises at least one radiofrequency (RF) electrode, wherein the at least one RF electrode is configured to be activated to deliver RF energy sufficient to achieve denervation of the hepatic artery branch, thereby decreasing blood glucose levels within the subject, wherein the distal portion of the catheter body comprises a deflectable bend segment having a preformed bend shape such that the distal end of the catheter body bends off-axis relative to a longitudinal axis of the proximal portion of the catheter body, wherein the articulatable portion and the deflectable bend segment facilitate treatment within variable and tortuous anatomy of the hepatic artery branch, wherein the articulatable portion is configured to apply and maintain contact pressure between the at least one RF electrode and an inner arterial wall of the hepatic artery branch, thereby facilitating continuous contact as the hepatic artery branch moves in response to diaphragm motion, wherein the contact pressure is between about 5 g/mm 2 and about 100 g/mm 2 , and wherein the RF energy configured to be delivered to achieve denervation of the hepatic artery branch is between about 100 J and about 1 kJ.