A cryotreatment catheter for treating tissue. The catheter may include an outer elongate body, a balloon treatment element coupled to the distal portion of the elongate body with a plurality of balloon lobes radially arranged around the outer elongate body, an inner elongate body rotatably movable within the lumen of the outer elongate body, and a fluid delivery lumen located within the lumen of the outer elongate body and at least partially within the lumen of the inner elongate body. The fluid delivery lumen may be branched at a distal portion into a plurality of linear segments, each linear segment being in fluid communication with one of the plurality of balloon lobes. Each of the balloon lobes may be inflated independently of each other by the linear segments of the fluid delivery lumen.

A method for performing a medical procedure in an intestine of a patient is provided. The method comprises providing a system comprising: a catheter for insertion into the intestine, the catheter comprising: an elongate shaft comprising a distal portion; and a functional assembly positioned on the shaft distal portion and comprising at least one treatment element. The catheter is introduced into the patient, and target tissue is treated with the at least one treatment element. The target tissue comprises mucosal tissue of the small intestine, and the medical procedure can be configured to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

A device positionable in a cavity of a bodily organ (e.g., a heart) may discriminate between fluid (e.g., blood) and non-fluid tissue (e.g., wall of heart) to provide information or a mapping indicative of a position and/or orientation of the device in the cavity. Discrimination may be based on flow, or some other characteristic, for example electrical permittivity or force. The device may selectively ablate portions of the non-fluid tissue based on the information or mapping. The device may detect characteristics (e.g., electrical potentials) indicative of whether ablation was successful. The device may include a plurality of transducers, intravascularly guided in an unexpanded configuration and positioned proximate the non-fluid tissue in an expanded configuration. Expansion mechanism may include helical member(s) or inflatable member(s).

A system for providing irrigation fluid during ablation of tissue includes a catheter, an electrode assembly, at least one thermal sensor adapted to be connected to the catheter, and a control system. The electrode assembly is adapted to be connected to an ablation generator. The thermal sensor is adapted to be operatively connected to an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU receives as an input temperature measurement data from the thermal sensor; determines a power delivery rate value for the ablation generator responsive to the temperature measurement data; and outputs the power delivery rate value. The control system also delivers irrigation fluid to the irrigated catheter at a first flow rate in a first time period and at a second flow rate in a second time period that is temporally after the first time period. The second flow rate is at least half of the first flow rate.

Methods and apparatus for the treatment of a body cavity or lumen are described where a heated fluid and/or gas may be introduced through a catheter and into treatment area within the body contained between one or more inflatable/expandable members. The catheter may also have optional pressure and temperature sensing elements which may allow for control of the pressure and temperature within the treatment zone and also prevent the pressure from exceeding a pressure of the inflatable/expandable members to thereby contain the treatment area between these inflatable/expandable members. Optionally, a chilled, room temperature, or warmed fluid such as water may then be used to rapidly terminate the treatment session.

Aspects of the instant disclosure relate to an electrophysiological catheter system for performing diagnostics and therapies within a cardiac muscle; more specifically, to a deformable body, at a distal end of a catheter, that deforms in response to a force being exerted upon a tip of the catheter. The deformation of the deformable body being measured by a measurement device, and the deformation associated with both a magnitude and vector of the force exerted upon the catheter tip.

A reservoir for supplying a cooling fluid to a medical ablation probe includes a wall defining a chamber therein, an outlet fluid port and an inlet fluid port each in fluid communication with the chamber, cooling fluid disposed within the chamber, and a thermochromic material thermally coupled to the cooling fluid. The thermochromic material is configured to exhibit a first color when the cooling fluid is below a threshold temperature, and a second color when the cooling fluid is above the threshold temperature.

An apparatus for supply of coolant, particularly CO.sub.2 that is preferably provided in bottles, to cryosurgical instruments. The device may be a mechanical or thermal compression device. A pump may supply the CO.sub.2 taken from the bottle in a buffer container with a desired operation pressure. The pressure in the gas bottle can be less than the desired operation pressure. The apparatus includes a tempering device that is configured to bring the coolant to a desired temperature, particularly a temperature that is higher than the temperature in the gas bottle or in another storage container.

Apparatus, consisting of a probe, containing a lumen and having a distal end configured to contact tissue of a living subject. A temperature sensor is located at the distal end, and a pump, having a pump motor, is coupled to deliver a cryogenic fluid through the lumen to the distal end of the probe and to receive the cryogenic fluid returning from the probe. There is a separator, coupled to separate the returning cryogenic fluid into a returning cryogenic liquid and a returning cryogenic gas, and a flow meter, coupled to measure a rate of flow of the returning cryogenic gas. A processor is configured to control a rate of pumping of the pump motor in response to a temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the rate of flow of the returning cryogenic gas.

Cooling systems for medical probe assemblies are provided. For example, a cooling system comprises a pump assembly including a control unit having a controller, a motor, and a pump head driven by the motor; a fluid reservoir; a lumen for delivering a cooling fluid to the medical probe assembly distal end; tubing extending through the pump head for conveying the cooling fluid from the fluid reservoir to the lumen; and a flow sensor for sensing the cooling fluid flow rate. The pump head is disposed between the fluid reservoir and the medical probe assembly to pump the cooling fluid from the fluid reservoir to the lumen. The flow sensor is disposed between the pump head and the medical probe assembly to sense the cooling fluid flow rate. Methods for controlling fluid flow rate through a cooling circuit and systems for using a plurality of medical probe assemblies also are provided.