Patent ID: 8328798

Claim:
A method for operating a system to tighten and stabilize a target zone of a collagenous tissue within a patient's body, comprising the steps of: providing a device configured to deliver tissue-shrinkable energy to a target zone comprising an annular organ structure of a heart valve within a patient's body via a catheter comprising a flexible tissue contactor member comprising energy-delivering elements, wherein said flexible tissue contactor member is configured to compressively confine an inner wall of said annular organ structure between a distal end of said flexible tissue contactor member and a proximal end of said flexible tissue contactor member, and wherein said flexible tissue contactor member is located at a distal tip of said catheter and inside at least one lumen of said catheter extending between said distal tip and a proximal end where said flexible tissue contactor member is deployed out of said at least one lumen; introducing said catheter through to a site of said annulus; deploying said flexible tissue-contactor member; positioning said tissue-contactor member to compressively confine said inner wall of said annulus; advancing said energy-delivering elements to contact tissue of said annulus; and, delivering a tissue-shrinkable energy to said target zone wirelessly, wherein said tissue-shrinkable energy is provided noninvasively from outside a body of the patient, wherein said tissue-shrinkable energy is sufficient to shrink and tighten said annular organ structure.