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

A method of treating duodenal tissue of a patient, the method comprising:

• introducing a treatment device into the patient's gastrointestinal tract, the treatment device comprising an elongate shaft and a radially expandable element carrying an array of conductors;
• positioning the radially expandable element at a treatment location in the patient's duodenum;
• expanding the radially expandable element such that the array of conductors contacts duodenal mucosal tissue at the treatment location;
• and
• delivering electrical energy to the array of conductors, thereby inducing apoptosis in the contacted duodenal mucosal tissue while avoiding damage to a muscularis layer of the patient's duodenum.

A method of treating a metabolic condition by modifying a property of a patient's duodenum, the method comprising:

• advancing a treatment device into the patient's duodenum, the treatment device comprising an elongate shaft and a radially expandable element comprising an array of conductors;
• expanding the radially expandable element to contact duodenal mucosal tissue;
• and
• delivering electrical energy to the array of conductors to modify at least one of a secretive property or an absorptive property of the patient's duodenum;
• and
• wherein delivering the electrical energy avoids damaging a muscularis layer of the patient's duodenum.

A method of treating duodenal mucosal tissue of a patient, the method comprising:

• introducing a treatment device into the patient's gastrointestinal tract, the treatment device comprising an elongate shaft and a radially expandable element carrying an array of conductors, the radially expandable element being moveable between a contracted state and an expanded state;
• at a first location in the patient's duodenum:
• expanding the radially expandable element to the expanded state such that the array of conductors contacts the duodenal mucosal tissue;
• and
• delivering electrical energy to the array of conductors, thereby inducing apoptosis in the duodenal mucosal tissue at the first location;
• contracting the radially expandable element and advancing the treatment device to a second location in the patient's duodenum;
• and
• at the second location:
• expanding the radially expandable element to the expanded state such that the array of conductors contacts the duodenal mucosal tissue;
• and
• delivering electrical energy to the array of conductors, thereby inducing apoptosis in the duodenal mucosal tissue at the second location;
• wherein the method treats the duodenal mucosal tissue while avoiding damage to a muscularis layer of the patient's duodenum.