as well as systems and surgical techniques that are not necessarily catheter based a tissue treatment system 10 that embodies features of the invention is shown in fig1 a and 1b the tissue treatment system 10 includes a tissue treatment device 12 and an apparatus 14 to deliver the tissue treatment device 12 to a tissue region 16 targeted for treatment the treatment system 10 also includes a source 18 of a treatment agent 20 the tissue treatment device 12 serves to apply the treatment agent 20 to the targeted tissue region 16 to obtain a desired therapeutic effect the therapeutic effect can comprise either alteration of nerve impulse pathways in the region 16 or a physical alteration of tissue characteristics in the region 16 the tissue treatment device 12 includes one or more agent delivery ports 22 the one or more delivery ports 22 can apply the treatment agent 20 to surface tissue in the region 16 desirably as fig1 a shows the port 20 is located at the end of a tissue piercing member 24 in this arrangement the treatment agent 20 may be injected into subsurface tissue the tissue treatment device 12 can include single or multiple ports 22 located single or multiple tissue piercing members 24 to inject the treatment agent 20 as fig1 a and 1b show a single tissue piercing member 24 with a single port 22 may be used alternatively as fig2 a and 2b show the treatment device 24 can carry multiple tissue piercing members 24.