A catheter with basket-shaped electrode assembly with spines configured for hyper-flexing in a predetermined, predictable manner when a compressive force acts on the assembly from either its distal end or its proximal end. At least one spine has at least one region of greater (or hyper) flexibility that allows the electrode assembly to deform, for example, compress, for absorbing and dampening excessive force that may otherwise cause damage or injury to tissue wall in contact with the assembly, without compromising the structure and stiffness of the remaining regions of the spine, including its distal and proximal regions. The one or more regions of greater flexibility in the spine allow the spine to flex into a generally V-shape configuration or a generally U-shape configuration.

Methods and apparatus are provided for monopolar neuromodulation, e.g., via a pulsed electric field. Such monopolar neuromodulation may effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, action potential attenuation or blockade, changes in cytokine up-regulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, monopolar neuromodulation is applied to neural fibers that contribute to renal function. In some embodiments, such monopolar neuromodulation is performed bilaterally.

An electrode apparatus for nerve denervation or modulation in vivo includes a main body including a shaft; an electrode unit formed to be drawn out from one end of the shaft and configured to denervate or modulate at least some of nerves on a tube in the body; an electrode guide including a plurality of joint units and a wire connecting the plurality of joint units to each other and configured to guide the electrode unit; and a driving unit located inside the main body and configured to drive the joint units and the wire to protrude from the one end of the shaft. The driving unit drives the joint units in conjunction with the wire to have different displacements by using a gear ratio between two rack gears depending on a pitch circle diameter ratio between two pinion gears.

A guidewire, consisting of a flexible biocompatible tube, having a tube distal end, the tube containing an internal lumen and being configured to be inserted into an orifice of a body of a living subject. A planar resilient strip is inserted into the internal lumen, the strip having a strip proximal end and a strip distal end fixed to the tube distal end. A coil spring is fixed to the strip proximal end so that an axis of symmetry of the coil is coplanar with the strip, the coil spring containing a coil lumen. A wire is threaded through the coil lumen and has a termination fixed to the strip distal end, so that pulling on the wire causes the strip and the tube to bend.

A system for ablating tissue includes a reusable control unit including a processor monitoring and controlling ablation and a control interface receiving input to and output from the processor in combination with a disposable procedure set releasably connectable to the control unit to couple to the control interface for communication with the processor.

An apparatus includes a shaft and an inflatable sleeve catheter. The shaft is configured for insertion through a sheath into a cavity of an organ of a patient. The inflatable sleeve catheter is fixed to a distal end of the shaft, with the inflatable sleeve catheter including (i) a resilient inner end section, which is fixed to the distal end of the shaft and is formed so as to assume a predefined shape when unconstrained, (ii) an inflatable sleeve that envelopes the inner end section, and a plurality of electrodes that are disposed over the inflatable sleeve and are configured to contact tissue.

The device comprises at least a laser source (5); an optical fiber (1) with an optical radiation entrance end (1.2) and an optical radiation output end (1.1); and a coupling system (8) for coupling the laser source (5) and the optical fiber (1), adapted to inject an optical radiation emitted by the laser source (5) into the entrance end (1.2) of the optical fiber (1). The optical fiber (1) is a multi-mode optical fiber. The coupling system (8) is adapted to inject the optical radiation into the optical fiber (1) with such an inclination (a) as to reduce or eliminate the fundamental transmission mode and to promote the transmission according to at least one higher-order transmission mode The optical radiation at the output end (1.1) of the optical fiber (1) has a cone-shaped distribution (3) wherein the intensity is maximal on the peripheral volume of an emission cone and is minimal inside the emission cone.

A guidewire, consisting of a flexible biocompatible tube, having a tube distal end, the tube containing an internal lumen and being configured to be inserted into an orifice of a body of a living subject. A planar resilient strip is inserted into the internal lumen, the strip having a strip proximal end and a strip distal end fixed to the tube distal end. A coil spring is fixed to the strip proximal end so that an axis of symmetry of the coil is coplanar with the strip, the coil spring containing a coil lumen. A wire is threaded through the coil lumen and has a termination fixed to the strip distal end, so that pulling on the wire causes the strip and the tube to bend.

A system for mechanical cutting and radiofrequency (RF) treatment of bone and soft tissue includes a probe and an RF power supply. The probe includes an elongated sleeve having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end and a distal end. A cutting member formed of a dielectric material is mounted on the elongated sleeve, and a metal electrode is attached to a surface of the cutting member and configured to deliver RF current. The RF power supply generates current having a pulsed RF waveform and may be connected to the metal electrode to deliver the current having the pulsed RF waveform to the tissue. The use of a pulsed RF waveform reduces a thermal stress on the dielectric material at the interface of the metal electrode and the dielectric material of the cutting member.

The present invention relates to a treatment apparatus and a method of controlling the same. There are provided a treatment apparatus, including a handpiece, an RF generator generating RF energy, an insertion unit configured to advance and retract toward one direction of the handpiece, selectively inserted into a tissue, and electrically connected to the RF generator to transfer the RF energy to the inside of the tissue, and a substance storage unit receiving a therapeutic substance therein and detachably installed on one side of the handpiece to transfer the substance to the inside of the tissue by the advancing operation of the insertion unit and a method of controlling the same.