A fluid stream is directed toward tissue to generate a plurality of shedding clouds. The fluid stream can be scanned such that the plurality of shedding clouds arrive a different overlapping locations. Each of the plurality of shedding clouds can remove a portion of the tissue. In many embodiments, an apparatus to ablate tissue comprises a source of pressurized fluid, and a nozzle coupled to the source of pressurized fluid to release a fluid stream, in which the fluid stream generates a plurality of shedding clouds.

In some examples, the disclosure describes devices, systems, and techniques for treating pain and/or pelvic floor dysfunction of a patient. For example, a method for treating pelvic floor dysfunction in a patient may include delivering, via a medical device, a therapy to one or more nerve fibers, wherein the therapy is configured to at least temporarily deactivate the one or more nerve fibers; and determining that the one or more nerve fibers was at least temporarily deactivated by delivering the therapy.

A light treatment system includes: a probe configured to be inserted into a bladder, the probe including an optical fiber, and a diffuser that is provided at a distal end of the optical fiber, the diffuser being configured to emit the light from a surface of the cylindrical shape in a diffused manner; a balloon catheter into which the probe is inserted, the balloon catheter being configured to be inserted into the bladder, the balloon catheter including a distal end portion that is to be spherically dilated in the bladder; and a liquid that includes light scattering particles and fills inside of the distal end portion when the distal end portion has been dilated, the liquid having an equivalent scattering coefficient μ′.sub.s equal to or larger than 5/R, where R is a maximum radius of the distal end portion that has been dilated.

A surgical laser system (100) includes a first laser source (140A), a second laser source (140B), a beam combiner (142) and a laser probe (108). The first laser source is configured to output a first laser pulse train (144, 104A) comprising first laser pulses (146). The second laser source is configured to output a second laser pulse train (148, 104B) comprising second laser pulses (150). The beam combiner is configured to combine the first and second laser pulse trains and output a combined laser pulse train (152, 104) comprising the first and second laser pulses. The laser probe is optically coupled to an output of the beam combiner and is configured to discharge the combined laser pulse train.

Systems, devices, and methods to treat a urinary bladder are disclosed. An expandable member is introduced and expanded in the urinary bladder to appose one or more elongate conductors on the outer surface of the expandable member against the inner wall of the urinary bladder. The one or more elongate conductors are used to create a predetermined pattern of electrically isolated tissue regions having reduced electrical propagation such that electrical propagation through the urinary bladder as a whole is reduced. A mucus layer may be removed from the inner bladder wall prior to the ablation. Ablation may be regulated by impedance measurement with the one or more elongate conductors. The urinary bladder may be filled with a fluid to facilitate the impedance measurement.

The present disclosure describes devices and methods for treating disorders in a hollow body organ by ablating the tissue therein. At least one set of bipolar electrodes is deployed in the hollow body organ to contact the inner wall of the organ. In the deployed position, each positive electrode is positioned in a location substantially opposite each negative electrode. The tissue contact areas of the positive and negative electrodes are substantially the same and the electrodes are separated from one another by a distance of at least 10 times the width of each of the electrodes. The electrodes thereby produce lesions that are substantially identical to one another and also similar to those produced with monopolar electrodes. The electrodes are used to produce an ablation pattern that can electrically isolate regions of the hollow body organ, thereby treating the disorder(s).

A device and method is disclosed for creating a lesion in adventitia tissue of a renal artery and/or a region of tissue surrounding the adventitia tissue while protecting intima and media tissue of the renal artery from injury. A catheter carrying a microwave antenna is positioned within the renal artery. Cooling fluid is circulated around the microwave antenna in thermal contact with the intima of the renal artery. Power is supplied to the microwave antenna to cause microwave energy to be emitted omnidirectionally from the microwave antenna. The power supplied to the microwave antenna and the cooling fluid circulated around the microwave antenna are controlled to cause the adventitia tissue and/or the region of tissue surrounding the adventitia tissue to be heated to a temperature sufficient to cause thermal damage while the intima and media tissue are maintained at a temperature where thermal damage does not occur.

A treatment method for non-ablative tissue regeneration includes directing at least one laser pulse having a wavelength onto a tissue surface of a human or animal body, and controlling an energy delivery time t.sub.ed of the at least one laser pulse, during which the second half of the pulse energy is delivered, to be sufficiently short, so that, given the wavelength and thus a corresponding penetration depth δ of the at least one laser pulse, a thermal exposure time texp of the tissue surface is smaller than 900 microseconds. The thermal exposure time t.sub.exp of the tissue surface is defined as a time interval in which the temperature of the tissue surface is above T.sub.o + (T.sub.max - T.sub.o)/.sub.2, wherein T.sub.o defines the initial temperature of the tissue surface, before the laser pulse arrives, and T.sub.max is a maximal temperature of the tissue surface.

The present invention relates generally to therapeutic compositions comprising chitosan-derived compositions used in connection with methods for treating neoplasms, such as for instance, malignant lung, thyroid and kidney neoplasms, and other types of malignant neoplasms, and other medical disorders.

A treatment method for non-ablative tissue regeneration includes directing at least one laser pulse having a wavelength onto a tissue surface of a human or animal body, and controlling an energy delivery time t.sub.ed of the at least one laser pulse, during which the second half of the pulse energy is delivered, to be sufficiently short, so that, given the wavelength and thus a corresponding penetration depth δ of the at least one laser pulse, a thermal exposure time t.sub.exp of the tissue surface is smaller than 900 microseconds. The thermal exposure time t.sub.exp of the tissue surface is defined as a time interval in which the temperature of the tissue surface is above T.sub.o+(T.sub.max−T.sub.o)/2, wherein T.sub.o defines the initial temperature of the tissue surface, before the laser pulse arrives, and T.sub.max is a maximal temperature of the tissue surface.