SURGICAL ABLATION PROBE FOR FORMING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL LESION

摘要

This invention is a circumferential ablation device assembly which is adapte d to form a circumferential conduction block in a pulmonary vein. The assembly generally comprises a handheld surgical ablation probe having a rigid shaft for insertion through a patient's chest and a circumferential ablation eleme nt mounted on the distal end portion of the shaft. The circumferential ablation element is adapted to ablate a circumferential region of tissue along a pulmonary vein wall which circumscribes the pulmonary vein lumen. The circumferential ablation element includes an expandable member for anchoring the distal end portion of the shaft in a body structure and an ultrasound transducer disposed within the expandable member for emitting ultrasonic energy to ablate the tissue in the pulmonary vein.