Electrode markers and methods of use

Abstract

An energy delivery device for treating tissue regions in a body conduit, such as a lung airway, may utilize one or more markers, rings, bands, or other visual indicators along an outer surface of the device body. The one or more visual indicators facilitate guidance of the device to effectively and efficiently treat the tissue according to a predetermined axial treatment as well as measure extension of a distal portion of the device, tissue length, and/or treatment length. The predetermined axial treatment may be contiguous, overlapping, or intermittently spaced apart as determined by the marker spacing distance.

1 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A method for treating a lung, comprising:
 positioning an energy delivery element at a first location by aligning a first marker with a reference location;   delivering energy to lung tissue at the first location with the energy delivery element;   positioning the energy delivery element at a second location by aligning a second marker with the reference location; and   delivering energy to lung tissue at the second location with the energy delivery element.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further including positioning the energy delivery element at a third location by aligning a third marker with the reference location, and delivering energy to the third location with the energy delivery element 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein a spacing between the first and second markers is equal to a spacing between the second and third markers. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the energy delivery element is an electrode having an exposed electrically conductive portion having a first length. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the first and second markers are spaced apart from one another by the first length. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the electrically conductive portion is defined at a proximal end and at a distal end by electrically non-conductive portions. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the energy delivery element is disposed at or adjacent to a distal end of an elongate member. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the first marker and the second marker are disposed on the elongate member. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the first marker and the second marker are disposed proximal to the energy delivery element. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein positioning the energy delivery element at the second location includes pulling the energy delivery element proximally from the first location. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the first marker is proximal to the second marker. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein aligning the first marker with the reference location includes visualizing an image of the first marker and the reference location. 
     
     
         40 . A method for treating a lung, comprising:
 delivering energy to lung tissue at a first location with an energy delivery element, the energy delivery element being disposed at or adjacent to a distal end of an elongate member, wherein the elongate member includes a plurality of markers spaced apart from one another;   determining a second location using the plurality of markers; and   delivering energy to lung tissue at the second location with the energy delivery element.   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the energy delivery element includes an active energy delivery region, and the first location is spaced from the second location by a distance corresponding to a length of the active energy delivery region. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the active energy delivery region of the energy delivery element includes an electrically conductive portion defined at a proximal end and at a distal end by electrically non-conductive portions. 
     
     
         43 . A method for treating a lung, comprising:
 advancing an energy delivery device into the lung, the energy delivery device having an elongate member with a first marker and a second marker distal to the first marker, and an energy delivery element at or adjacent a distal end of the elongate member, wherein the energy delivery device is advanced into the lung until the first marker is aligned with a reference point;   delivering energy to the lung when the first marker is aligned with the reference point;   pulling the energy delivery device proximally until the second marker is aligned with the reference point, the first marker and the second marker being spaced apart from one another by a first distance corresponding to an active region of the energy delivery element; and   delivering energy to the lung when the second marker is aligned with the reference point.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the energy delivery device further includes a third marker distal to the second marker, and the method further includes pulling the energy delivery device proximally until the third marker is aligned with the reference point, and delivering energy to the lung when the third marker is aligned with the reference point. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the second marker and the third marker are spaced apart from one another by the first distance. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the energy delivery element is one of a plurality of energy delivery elements radially spaced apart from one another along a longitudinal axis of the energy delivery device. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the energy delivery element is reciprocally movable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration.