Balloon catheter and electrification system

Abstract

A balloon catheter is provided with a balloon on the tip of a main shaft. The balloon catheter is provided with: protruding parts that are furnished on the outer surface of the balloon and protrude outward from the outer surface of the balloon at least when the balloon is expanded; and electrodes that are furnished on the leading edges of the protruding parts in the direction of protrusion and are capable of transmitting energy to living tissue. The leading edge electrodes can thereby be delivered near the desired site of treatment by thrusting the protruding parts into living tissue and, in this configuration, energy is transmitted to said treatment site.

1 . A balloon catheter including a balloon on a distal end side of a shaft, comprising:
 a protrusive member disposed on an outer surface of the balloon and extending outwardly from the outer surface of the balloon at least when the balloon is inflated; and   an electrode disposed on a projecting tip end portion of the protrusive member, for transmitting energy to a living body tissue.   
     
     
         2 . The balloon catheter according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusive member is insulative. 
     
     
         3 . The balloon catheter according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusive member serves as a cutting edge having the electrode on a leading end thereof for cutting into a blood vessel wall to deliver the electrode into the blood vessel wall. 
     
     
         4 . The balloon catheter according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusive member serves as a pushing member having the electrode on a leading end thereof and having an abutment portion with an inner surface of a blood vessel for pushing the inner surface of the blood vessel wall toward an outer surface of the blood vessel wall, thereby deforming the blood vessel wall, to deliver the electrode to a desired position when the protrusive member is pressed against the inner surface of the blood vessel wall. 
     
     
         5 . The balloon catheter ( 10 ,  10   a  to  10   c ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusive member is provided as at least a pair of protrusive members, and the electrodes disposed on the pair of protrusive members serve as a set of bipolar electrodes. 
     
     
         6 . The balloon catheter according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusive members are provided in a plurality of arrays disposed along an axial direction of the balloon and at different circumferential phases of the balloon in the arrays. 
     
     
         7 . The balloon catheter according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusive member is disposed helically on the outer surface of the balloon. 
     
     
         8 . The balloon catheter ( 10 ,  10   a  to  10   c ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusive member is shaped as a thin plate or a needle. 
     
     
         9 . The balloon catheter according to  claim 1 , wherein the energy comprises high-frequency energy. 
     
     
         10 . The balloon catheter according to  claim 1 , wherein the living body tissue comprises a nerve around a renal artery. 
     
     
         11 . An energizing system comprising a balloon catheter including a balloon on a distal end side of a shaft and an electrode disposed on an outer surface of the balloon, for transmitting energy to a living body tissue, and a power supply for supplying a high-frequency current to the electrode, wherein
 the balloon catheter has a protrusive member disposed on the outer surface of the balloon and extending outwardly from the outer surface of the balloon at least when the balloon is inflated; and   the electrode is disposed on a projecting tip end portion of the protrusive member.