| abstract |
An electrode catheter assembly for ablation of obstructive material formed within and around a stent inserted within a lumen includes an elongate flexible tube having a distal end and a proximal end, and an electrode assembly attached to the distal end of the tube. The electrode assembly includes: a first electrode formed by a cylindrical body defining a longitudinal axis and having a first end, and an opposite second end, the body having a plurality of slits formed therein, each of the slits extending parallel to the axis from a corresponding first point proximate the first end to a corresponding second point proximate the second end, the slits defining a plurality of elongated deformable segments; and a second electrode disposed along the axis at a distance from the first electrode. A spacer means, disposed between the first and second electrodes, is operative to physically separate and electrically insulate the first electrode from the second electrode. Electrical transmission means provides a first electrical path between a power supply and the first electrode, and a second electrical path between the second electrode and the power supply. Actuator means is provided for moving the first end toward the second end of the body causing the segments to be deformed so that portions thereof are extended radially away from the axis, whereby when the catheter assembly is inserted into a lumen and positioned within an occluded stent, the deformable segments establish an electrically conductive path to the stent. |