Aspiration catheter with stabilizing structural member minimizing risk of damage to an inner wall of a vessel during aspiration

A method for using an aspiration catheter including a body having a proximal end and an opposite distal tip with a lumen extending in a longitudinal direction therethrough from the proximal end to the distal tip;

• and a stabilizing structural member stabilizing the body to minimize movement and/or radial expansion of the distal tip of the body while subject to aspiration;
• the method comprising the steps of:
• navigating the aspiration catheter through a vessel to a target site with the distal tip positioned on a proximal side of a targeted clot;
• applying aspiration to the body to capture the clot into the lumen;
• and
• simultaneously while applying the aspiration, stabilizing the body relative to an inner wall of the vessel via the stabilizing structural member in order to minimize the movement and/or the radial expansion of the distal tip during the aspiration to minimize risk of damage to the inner wall of the vessel.