Methods for treating the thoracic region of a patient's body

1. A method of treatment of a thoracic region of a patient's body, the method comprising:

inserting an introducer apparatus into the patient's body at an upstanding angle relative to an anterior-posterior axis of the patient's body in a cranial direction, the apparatus comprising a cannula and an obturator disposed within a lumen of the cannula, the obturator protruding from a distal end of the cannula;

positioning the apparatus such that a distal tip of the obturator abuts the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra;

removing the obturator from within the cannula;

inserting an energy delivery portion of an electrosurgical device into the cannula;

positioning the energy delivery portion of the electrosurgical device at the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra at a distance from the superolateral aspect of the transverse process; and

cooling the energy delivery portion and delivering energy through the energy delivery portion to the superolateral aspect of the transverse process such that a lesion is formed at least distal to the energy delivery portion.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cooling and the delivering energy cooperate to form a lesion at a location at least between the energy delivery portion and the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distance between the energy delivery portion and the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra is 0.5 mm to 4 mm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distance between the energy delivery portion and the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra is 2 mm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upstanding angle of the electrosurgical device comprises an angle of between 15° and 60° relative to an anterior-posterior axis of the patient's body in the cranial direction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upstanding angle of the electrosurgical device comprises an angle of 45° relative to an anterior-posterior axis of the patient's body in the cranial direction.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upstanding angle of the electrosurgical device comprises an angle of 15° relative to an anterior-posterior axis of the patient's body in the cranial direction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy delivery portion is positioned at a location in the region bounded by:

a superior margin of the transverse process,

an inferior margin of a superjacent transverse process,

an anterior margin of the transverse process and an anterior margin of the superjacent transverse process,

a posterior margin of a spinous process of the thoracic vertebra,

an inferior articular process of the thoracic vertebra and a superior articular process of a superjacent thoracic vertebra, and

a lateral margin of the transverse process and a lateral margin of the superjacent transverse process.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the superolateral aspect of the transverse process of the thoracic vertebra comprises a centroid region of a transverse process.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the introducer apparatus within an intertransverse space, prior to inserting the electrosurgical device within the cannula.

11. The method of claim 10 , the method further comprising:

placing a depth stopper on the cannula adjacent to the surface of the patient's skin and partially withdrawing the apparatus prior to moving the apparatus; and

advancing the apparatus until the depth stopper is adjacent to the patient's skin, after moving the apparatus.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the introducer apparatus within the intertransverse space comprises:

moving the apparatus from the centroid region in a cranial direction until the intertransverse space is reached.