Electro-coagulation and ablation and other electrotherapeutic treatments of body tissue

A method of electro-coagulating a selected region of body tissue comprising the steps of

• inserting into a living body a bipolar electro-coagulation catheter having proximal and distal portions respectively terminating at proximal and distal ends to the site of the selected region, said catheter comprising
• a flexible, pushable, elongated catheter body of braided construction having proximal and distal portions terminating respectively at proximal and distal ends defining a tube-receiving lumen having a length that extends from the proximal end of said catheter body to the distal end of said catheter body, said length being selected to perform therapy on selected regions of body tissue within the gastrointestinal tract or the esophagus of a patient while the proximal end of said catheter body remains outside the patient,
• first and second RF electrocoagulation electrodes coupled to the distal portion of said catheter body, said electrodes being connected to respective conductors extending within said catheter body, and
• a retractable, flexible hollow tube having a tissue-penetrable needle-form distal end and having a proximal end and extending within said tube-receiving lumen and along the entire length thereof, said flexible hollow tube having a fluid passage therethrough for introducing a fluid into the tissue in the selected region, said flexible hollow tube being selectively slidable within said tube-receiving lumen of said catheter body to cause said needle-form distal end of said flexible tube to be projectable from and retractable into the distal end of said catheter body by actuation force applied to the proximal end of said flexible hollow tube,
• inserting said needle-form distal end of said flexible hollow tube into tissue in the selected region,
• contacting said first and second electrodes with the surface of tissue in the selected region,
• introducing a fluid into tissue in the selected region through said flexible hollow tube and needle-form distal end, and
• applying RF coagulation voltage between said first and second electrodes to effect bipolar electro-coagulation of the selected region of body tissue.