US Patent 6869431 Medical device with sensor cooperating with expandable member

Disclosed is a method for attaching a sensor to an inflatable balloon. The method involves bonding the sensor to the balloon with an adhesive while the balloon is in an expanded state and then collapsing the balloon after the adhesive has at least partially cured. The method reduces the possibility of a failure of the bond between the sensor and the balloon. The method is particularly useful in the construction of a tissue ablation catheter for forming a lesion along a substantially circumferential region of tissue wherein a sensor is used for monitoring the temperature of the tissue being ablated.