METHOD FOR TREATING AND REPAIRING MITRAL VALVE ANNULUS
A catheter system for repairing an annular organ structure of a patient, comprising: intimately contacting the annular organ structure by a tissue-contactor member having energy-delivering elements; and delivering tissue-shrinkable energy at the annular organ structure through the elements, wherein the tissue-shrinkable energy is applied at a distance wirelessly from the elements sufficient to shrink and tighten the organ structure. Tissue-shrinkable energy is infrared energy, ultrasound energy, focused ultrasound energy, ultrasound energy, radiofrequency energy, microwave energy, electromagnetic energy, laser energy, or a combination thereof.
1 . (canceled)
2 . A method for repairing defects in a heart annulus comprising:
introducing a catheter system into a patient's heart, said catheter system comprising a flexible tissue-contactor member and at least one flexible electrode element located at a distal end of said catheter system, wherein said flexible tissue-contactor member is configured to be either in a retracted state or a deployed state;
positioning said flexible tissue-contactor member in intimate proximity of an annulus of said heart to be treated;
deploying said flexible tissue-contactor member;
advancing said at least one flexible electrode element until contact with tissue of said annulus; and
applying high frequency energy through said at least one flexible electrode element to said tissue thereby repairing defects in said annulus.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said annulus is selected from a group consisting of a mitral valve, a tricuspid valve, a pulmonary valve, an aortic valve, a venous valve and a sphincter.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said catheter system is introduced to said heart percutaneously.
5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said catheter system is introduced to said heart via a cannula through a percutaneous intercostal penetration.
6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said catheter system is introduced directly to the annular organ via open surgical access.
7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said flexible tissue-contactor member is configured to be releasably anchored onto the annulus.
8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said flexible tissue contactor member comprises an inflatable balloon comprising a radially enlargeable proximal region, a middle region, and a radially enlargeable distal region.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said deploying said tissue-contactor member comprises infusing fluid into said flexible tissue contactor member to inflate said flexible tissue contactor member.
10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said flexible tissue contactor member is hyperbolic shaped with a neck region adapted for positioning at about an inner wall of said annulus and wherein said at least one flexible electrode element is positioned about said neck region.
11 . A method for repairing defects in an annulus of an annular organ comprising:
introducing a catheter system into a patient's annular organ, said catheter system comprising a flexible tissue-contactor member located at a distal end of said catheter system, wherein said flexible tissue-contactor member is deployable out of a catheter shaft's lumen and is expandable upon deployment and configured to have a narrow middle region between an enlarged distal region and an enlarged proximal region suitable for compressively sandwiching the inner wall of the annular organ, said tissue-contactor member comprising a plurality of flexible electrode elements;
positioning said catheter shaft in intimate proximity said annular organ's annulus to be treated;
deploying said flexible tissue-contactor member thereby compressively sandwiching the inner wall of the annular organ, wherein said compressively sandwiching occurs when a first pair of said plurality of electrode elements compresses forwardly toward the distal end and a second pair of said plurality of electrode elements compresses radially toward the side wall of the annular organ; and
applying tissue-shrinkable energy through said plurality of flexible electrode elements to tissue of said annular organ thereby repairing defects in said annular organ.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said deploying said tissue-contactor member comprises deploying said tissue-contactor member out of said catheter shaft's lumen and infusing fluid into said flexible tissue contactor member to inflate said flexible tissue contactor member.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said fluid is a physiologic liquid with high thermal conductivity to continuously divert excess heat from the electrode tissue contact site thereby substantially enhancing treatment efficiency.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said tissue-shrinkable energy comprises high frequency current.
15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said tissue-shrinkable energy comprises high frequency heat applied to collagen tissue at a temperature range of about 45° C. to 75° C. for at least a few seconds to cause said collagen to shrink a fraction of its original dimension.
16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said catheter system is introduced to said annulus percutaneously.
17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said catheter system is introduced to said annulus via a cannula through a percutaneous intercostal penetration.
18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said catheter system is introduced directly to the annular organ via open surgical access.