A catheter probe configured with a capability to present a larger tissuecontact areaor "footprint" for larger, deeper lesions, without increasing the french sizeof the catheter,especially its distal section, includes an elastically deformable electrodeconfigured toadopt a neutral configuration and a tissue contact configuration. Thedeformableelectrode comprising a hollow porous tube with a distal portion having aclosed distal end,and a proximal portion defining an opening to an interior of the tube, wherethe distal tipend is received in the tube through the opening and the distal section isgenerallysurrounded by tube, with the proximal portion being affixed to an outersurface of thedistal section. In some embodiments, the closed distal end is shaped with abulbousportion that can spread and widen to provide a larger surface contact area.
