Catheter

An angioplasty marker and catheter apparatus for facilitating accurate placement of a stent for dilating a stenotic segment at a lumen bifurcation junction, said angioplasty marker and catheter apparatus comprising:

• a marker balloon assembly having a proximal end and a distal end, said assembly including, a guide wire and a tubular conduit, the marker balloon assembly configured to slide back and forth over the guide wire, the marker balloon assembly connected to a distal end of said tubular conduit, said marker balloon assembly including at least one inflatable marker balloon segment, said at least one inflatable marker balloon segment having an arcuate, circumferential extent less than or equal to three hundred forty degrees about the distal end of said tubular conduit, and an inflation conduit connected to said tubular conduit and being operable to be connected to an inflation syringe at a proximal end of said marker balloon assembly and to said at least one inflatable marker balloon segment mounted at the distal end of said tubular conduit for selective delivery of marker fluid under low pressure to said at least one inflatable marker balloon segment and a stent catheter assembly operable to be inserted through said marker balloon assembly, said stent catheter assembly further comprising a radio-opaque stent proximal marker positioned at a proximal end of the stent, said stent catheter assembly operable to be advanced or drawn back along the guide wire so that a stent position is determinable by an operator viewing a radio image showing a relative position of the radio-opaque stent marker and the marker balloons.