Methods for endoluminal treatment

1. A medical method, comprising:

manipulating body tissue so that said tissue is folded on itself;

subsequently advancing a clip over said folded body tissue, said clip having two substantially parallel arms each having a respective piercing portion and a bridge coupling the two arms, such that said body tissue is located between said two arms and such that said clip applies force to said folded body tissue, each of the piercing portions being non-perpendicular to the respective associated one of the arms before being bent; and

subsequently bending said piercing portion of at least one of said two arms through more than one half a thickness of said folded body tissue, said two arms remaining substantially parallel throughout the time said piercing portion of said at least one arm is bent.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein:

said bending comprises bending said piercing portion completely through said folded body tissue.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein:

said bending comprises bending said piercing portion into contact with said piercing portion of the other of said two arms.

4. A method according to claim 2 , wherein:

said bending comprises bending said piercing portion of both of said arms completely through said body tissue.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein:

said folded tissue comprises a first portion of a fold and a second portion of the fold, and

said bending comprises bending said piercing portion of said at least one of said two arms through said first portion of the fold and at least partially through said second portion of the fold.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said bending step is performed by bending only said piercing portion of at least one of said two arms through said body tissue.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein:

said tissue is an invaginated fundus of a stomach and the fold includes several layers of the invaginated fundus folded on itself.

8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein:

said manipulating is done by grabbing the fundus of the stomach with a grasping instrument and pulling on the fundus to cause invagination of the stomach.

9. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

compressing and clamping first and second portions of a fold in said tissue into contact with each other prior to said advancing.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein:

said advancing, said clamping, and said bending are accomplished by using a single instrument.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein:

said advancing and said bending are accomplished by using a single instrument.

12. A medical method, comprising:

providing a clip having:

two substantially parallel arms each having a piercing portion; and

a bridge coupling the two arms;

folding body tissue to form a folded portion extending along a longitudinal direction;

advancing the clip over the folded portion of body tissue in the longitudinal direction to place the folded portion between the two arms and to apply force to the folded portion with the clip, each of the piercing portions being substantially parallel to the respective associated one of the arms before being bent; and

bending the piercing portion of at least one of the two arms through more than one half a thickness of the folded portion at an angle to the longitudinal direction, the two arms remaining substantially parallel throughout the time the piercing portion of the at least one arm is bent.

13. The medical method according to claim 12 , further comprising releasably coupling at least a part of one piercing portion to a respective one of the arms.

14. A medical method, comprising:

providing a clip having two substantially parallel arms each having a respective piercing portion and a bridge coupling the two arms;

advancing a clip over body tissue folded on itself to form a first portion of a fold and a second portion of the fold such that the first and second portions are located between the two arms and such that the clip applies a clamping force to the body tissue, each of the piercing portions being substantially parallel to the respective associated one of the arms before being bent; and

subsequently bending the piercing portion of at least one of the two arms through the first portion of the fold and at least partially through the second portion of the fold, the two arms remaining substantially parallel throughout the time the piercing portion of the at least one arm is bent.

15. A method according to claim 14 , further comprising performing the advancing and the bending steps with a single instrument.

16. A method for medically clipping body tissue, comprising:

providing a clip having two substantially parallel arms and a bridge coupling the two arms, the two arms each having a respective piercing portion;

advancing a clip over body tissue folded on itself to form first and second portions of a fold disposed between the two arms and to apply a force to the folded body tissue, the folded tissue defining a longitudinal direction of the folded body tissue, the piercing portions of the two arms being initially oriented along the longitudinal direction and substantially parallel to the respective associated one of the arms before being bent; and

subsequently bending the piercing portion of at least one of the two arms to pierce through the first portion of the folded body tissue and at least partially through the second portion of the fold at an angle to the longitudinal direction, the two arms remaining substantially parallel throughout the time the piercing portion of the at least one arm is bent.

17. A method for medically clipping body tissue, comprising:

providing a clip having two substantially parallel arms and a bridge coupling the two arms, the two arms each having a respective piercing portion;

advancing a clip over body tissue folded on itself to form first and second portions of a fold disposed between the two arms and to apply a force to the folded body tissue, the folded tissue defining a longitudinal direction of the folded body tissue, the piercing portions of the two arms being initially oriented along the longitudinal direction and substantially parallel to the respective associated one of the arms before being bent; and

subsequently bending the piercing portion of at least one of the two arms at an angle to the longitudinal direction to pierce through the first portion of the folded body tissue and at least partially through the second portion of the fold, the two arms remaining substantially parallel throughout the time the piercing portion of the at least one arm is bent.

18. A medical method, comprising:

disposing two thicknesses of body tissue substantially parallel to one another to define an intermediate plane and two opposing outside surfaces substantially parallel to said intermediate plane;

advancing a clip over said outside surfaces of said body tissue, said said two thicknesses being said tissue folded onto itself, said clip having two substantially parallel arms each having a respective piercing portion and a bridge coupling the two arms, such that said body tissue is located between said two arms and such that said clip applies force to said body tissue, each of the piercing portions being substantially parallel to the respective associated one of the arms before being bent; and

subsequently bending said piercing portion of at least one of said two arms through more than one of said thicknesses of said body tissue, the two arms remaining substantially parallel throughout the time the piercing portion of the at least one arm is bent.

19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein:

said two thicknesses of body tissue comprises two separate pieces of tissue.

20. A medical method, comprising:

providing a clip having:

two arms each having a piercing portion; and

a bridge coupling the two arms;

releasably coupling at least a part of one piercing portion to a respective one of the arms;

folding body tissue to form a folded portion extending along a longitudinal direction;

advancing the clip over the folded portion of body tissue in the longitudinal direction to place the folded portion between the two arms and to apply force to the folded portion with the clip, each of the piercing portions being substantially parallel to the respective associated one of the arms before being bent; and

bending the piercing portion of at least one of the two arms through more than one half a thickness of the folded portion at an angle to the longitudinal direction.

21. The medical method according to claim 20 , which comprises releasably coupling each of the two piercing portions to the arms.