Electrical energy ablation systems, devices and methods for the treatment of tissue

1. A method of ablating mucosal tissue in a patient's duodenum, the method comprising:

introducing an ablation device into the patient's gastrointestinal (GI) tract;

advancing the ablation device to a first location in the patient's duodenum, the ablation device comprising an elongate shaft with a radially expandable element attached to the elongate shaft, the radially expandable element being moveable between contracted states and expanded states, the ablation device being introduced and advanced to the patient's duodenum with the radially expandable element in a contracted state;

ablating mucosal tissue at the first location in the patient's duodenum by:

moving the radially expandable element to an expanded state such that an array of conductors mounted to the radially expandable element forms a substantially tubular shape that directly contacts mucosal tissue of the duodenum of the first location; and

causing a first delivery of electrical energy to the array of conductors;

after the first delivery of electrical energy, moving the radially expandable element to a contracted state and then moving the ablation device to a second location in the patient's duodenum; and

ablating mucosal tissue at the second location in the patient's duodenum by:

moving the radially expandable element to an expanded state such that the array of conductors forms a substantially tubular shape that directly contacts mucosal tissue of the duodenum of the second location; and

causing a second delivery of electrical energy to the array of conductors;

wherein the first and second locations are distal to the patient's ampulla of Vater, and

wherein the method comprises ablating a majority of the patient's duodenal mucosal tissue distal to the patient's ampulla of Vater by ablating additional locations with electrical energy from the array of conductors after the first and second locations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical energy comprises a pulsed waveform configured to ablate contacted mucosal tissue by generating a pulsed and/or modulated electric field.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the array of conductors comprises at least two conductors each comprising a height of at least 100 microns.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before a delivery of electrical energy, causing a vacuum to apply a suction force to mucosal tissue contacted by the array of conductors.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a total axial length the patient's duodenum ablated with electrical energy comprises at least 50% of a length of the patient's duodenum distal to the patient's ampulla of Vater.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radially expandable element comprises a balloon.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein electrical energy is delivered for a time period of at least 5 seconds.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ablating comprises a non-desiccating ablation of the target tissue.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expandable element is configured to, in an expanded state, direct contact with a majority of a circumferential ring of tissue around the expandable element.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ablating is configured to cause apoptosis and/or cell necrosis of the target tissue.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the radially expandable element to the expanded state comprises causing a motion control mechanism of the ablation device to move the radially expandable element.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the motion control mechanism comprises a rotational drive assembly configured to advance the radially expandable element to the expanded state and retract the radially expandable element to the contracted state.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first location and the second location are adjacent and/or partially overlapping.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the radially expandable element is biased towards a tubular shape in the expanded state.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radially expandable element comprises a radially expandable sheet.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein moving the radially expandable element between the expanded state and the contracted state comprises furling or unfurling the radially expandable sheet.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radially expandable element is resiliently biased in the expanded state.

18. A method of ablating mucosal tissue in a patient's duodenum, the method comprising:

introducing an ablation device into the patient's gastrointestinal (GI) tract;

advancing the ablation device to a first location in the patient's duodenum, the ablation device comprising an elongate shaft with a radially expandable element attached to the elongate shaft, the radially expandable element being moveable between a contracted state and an expanded state, the ablation device being introduced and advanced to the patient's duodenum in the contracted state;

at the first location in the patient's duodenum:

moving the radially expandable element to the expanded state such the radially expandable element forms a substantially cylindrical shape that directly contacts mucosal tissue of the duodenum of the first location; and

causing a first delivery of energy to the mucosal tissue of the first location via the radially expandable element;

after the first delivery of energy, moving the radially expandable element to the contracted state and then moving the ablation device to a second location in the patient's duodenum;

at the second location in the patient's duodenum:

moving the radially expandable element to the expanded state such that radially expandable element forms a substantially cylindrical shape that directly contacts mucosal tissue of the duodenum of the second location; and

causing a second delivery of energy to the mucosal tissue of the second location via the radially expandable element;

wherein the first and second locations are distal to the patient's ampulla of Vater;

wherein the method comprises treating a majority of the patient's duodenal mucosal tissue distal to the patient's ampulla of Vater by treating additional locations after the first and second locations with energy from the radially expandable element.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the expandable element comprises a balloon.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first and second deliveries of energy comprise delivery of a heated fluid to the expandable element.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first and second deliveries of energy comprise delivery of a cryogenic fluid to the expandable element.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first location and the second location are adjacent or partially overlapping.

23. A method of ablating mucosal tissue in a patient's duodenum, the method comprising:

introducing an ablation device into the patient's gastrointestinal (GI) tract;

advancing the ablation device to a starting location in the patient's duodenum that is distal to the patient's ampulla of Vater, the ablation device comprising an elongate shaft with a radially expandable element attached to the elongate shaft, the radially expandable element being moveable between contracted states and expanded states, the ablation device being introduced and advanced to the patient's duodenum with the radially expandable element in a contracted state;

ablating mucosal tissue at a plurality of locations in the patient's duodenum by:

(a) moving the radially expandable element to an expanded state such that an array of conductors mounted to the radially expandable element forms a substantially tubular shape that directly contacts mucosal tissue of the duodenum of a respective location of the plurality of locations; and

(b) causing a delivery of electrical energy to the array of conductors;

(c) after the delivery of electrical energy, moving the radially expandable element to a contracted state and then moving the ablation device to a different location of the plurality of locations; and

(d) repeating (a), (b) and (c) to ablate a majority of the patient's duodenal mucosal tissue distal to the patient's ampulla of Vater.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the different location of the plurality of locations is adjacent to and/or partially overlapping with the respective location.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein the electrical energy comprises a pulsed waveform configured to ablate contacted mucosal tissue by generating a pulsed and/or modulated electric field.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein the ablating is configured to cause apoptosis and/or cell necrosis of the target tissue.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein the radially expandable element comprises a radially expandable sheet.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein moving the radially expandable element between the expanded state and the contracted state comprises furling or unfurling the radially expandable sheet.

29. The method of claim 23 , further comprising, before a delivery of electrical energy, causing a vacuum to apply a suction force to mucosal tissue contacted by the array of conductors.