The invention regards an apparatus for creating linear lesions in body tissue within a body vessel comprising a catheter adapted for insertion into the body vessel, the catheter having a proximal end and a distal end, a loop of a non-conducting material at the distal end being deformable such that when the loop is pressed against a wall of the body vessel a section of the loop will conform to the internal contours of the wall of the body vessel, an linear ablating conductor disposed on the loop, such that when the loop is pressed against the wall of the body vessel a portion of the ablating conductor is in contact with the body tissue in a smaller area than the total area of the section of the loop conformed to the internal contours of the wall of the body vessel.
