Claims
- 1. An ablation system, comprising:
a handle portion having proximal and distal ends; a flexible elongated tubular member having at least one lumen therethrough operably attached to the distal end of the handle portion; an energy delivery device comprising at least one ablative element, the energy delivery device operably attached to the handle portion and adapted to translate within a first of the at least one lumen of the tubular member; and an ablative energy source operably attached to the at least one ablative element.
- 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a means for defining the flexibility at one or more desired locations along the elongated tubular member.
- 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for defining the flexibility comprises a support member having the desired flexibility at the one or more desired locations of the elongated tubular member.
- 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for defining the flexibility comprises a flexible support member, the elongated tubular member held in a pre-compressed state at the one or more desired locations of the elongated tubular member, whereby the flexibility of the elongated tubular member at the one or more desired locations is maximized.
- 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for defining the flexibility comprises a flexible support member, the elongated tubular member held in a pre-compressed state at the one or more desired locations of the elongated tubular member, whereby the flexibility of the elongated tubular member at the one or more desired locations is enhanced.
- 6. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for defining the flexibility comprises a support member, the elongated tubular member held in a pre-expanded state at the one or more desired locations of the elongated tubular member, whereby the flexibility of the elongated tubular member at the one or more desired locations is minimized.
- 7. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for defining the flexibility comprises a flexible support member, the elongated tubular member held in a pre-compressed state at the one or more desired locations of the elongated tubular member, whereby the flexibility of the elongated tubular member at the one or more desired locations is discouraged.
- 8. The system of claim 4, further comprising means for indicating the relative position of the energy delivery device with respect to the flexible elongated tubular member, wherein the one or more desired locations comprises to one or more locations indicated by the indicating means.
- 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the indicating means comprises a plurality of indicators upon an outer surface of the tubular member.
- 10. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more desired locations comprises the entire length of the elongated tubular member.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/177,840, filed Jun. 21, 2002, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/751,472, filed Dec. 29, 2000, which are both incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10177840 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Child |
10253737 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09751472 |
Dec 2000 |
US |
Child |
10177840 |
Jun 2002 |
US |