Angioplasty catheter system and method for making same

An electrosurgical catheter system adapted to increase the patency of a body conduit, comprising:

• an electrosurgical generator providing electrical energy at intensities and radio frequencies sufficient to generate electrical arcs and to ablate a material defining the body conduit;
• an electrosurgical catheter including an elongate shaft extending along a central longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end;
• portions of the shaft defining an inflation lumen extending between the proximal end and the distal end of the shaft;
• a balloon disposed at the distal end of the shaft in fluid flow communication with the inflation lumen, the balloon having an interior surface facing toward the axis of the shaft, and having an exterior surface facing away from the axis of the shaft;
• a printed circuit disposed on the exterior surface of the balloon and including a plurality of discrete areas of electrically conductive material, the discrete areas of electrically conductive material being of a size and shape to receive the electrical energy from the electrosurgical generator and to deliver the electrical energy to the material defining the body conduit with a current density sufficient to define an electrical arc and to ablate the material defining the body conduit;
• a layer of insulation covering each of the plurality of discrete areas of conductive material, the layer of insulation having a plurality of slits, each slit being disposed over a respective one of the discrete areas and reducing an exposure of the respective discrete area and for maintaining a gap between the plurality of discrete areas and the material defining the body conduit, to thereby increase a current density at the respective slit;
• means extending from the proximal end of the shaft for conducting the electrical energy from the electrosurgical generator to the distal end of the shaft
• means for electrically coupling the conducting means at the distal end of the shaft to each of the discrete areas of conductive material on the balloon;
• whereby
• the catheter can be inserted into the body conduit and the discrete areas can be energized in cause arcing between each of the energized discrete areas and the material defining the body conduit to electrosurgically alter the material defining the body conduit thereby increasing the patency of the body conduit.