Patent ID: 8224455

Claim:
A method of drug delivery to tissue, comprising: inserting into a bodily conduit a catheter including an energy-emitting source so that the energy-emitting source is positioned adjacent tissue to be treated and so that focused energy from the energy-emitting source can heat the tissue to be treated, the catheter defining a central lumen and the energy-emitting source disposed within the central lumen, the catheter also including a compression balloon; warming a fluid to a temperature above approximately 30° C.; inflating the compression balloon with the warmed fluid to a pressure sufficient to expand the bodily conduit and to compress the tissue to be treated while the energy-emitting source is controlled to heat the tissue, the inflating including circulating the warmed fluid through at least a portion of the catheter into the compression balloon and then out of the compression balloon into the central lumen of the catheter where the energy-emitting source is disposed; injecting or releasing into the region of tissue to be treated a drug encapsulated within a heat-sensitive liposome; and heating with the energy-emitting source at least a portion of the tissue to be treated to destroy the heated portion and also to activate the heat-sensitive liposome to release the encapsulated drug such that the drug targets the tissue to be treated.