Expandable cage catheter for repairing a damaged blood vessel

A vascular catheter for repairing a section of a lining, comprising:

• a. an elongated catheter body having a relatively long proximal portion with a stiffening means, a relatively short distal portion, a first lumen which extends longitudinally within the catheter body over essentially the entire length thereof and a second, much shorter, lumen which is adapted to receive a guiding member therein and which extends longitudinally within the distal portion of the catheter body between a proximal side opening therein and an opening in the distal end thereof and which is defined at least in part by a sidewall of the distal section having a slit therein which extends distally from the side opening and which facilitates the rapid removal of the catheter from a guiding member within the second lumen;
• b. an expandable cage secured to the distal end of the catheter body which is formed of a plurality of strands, which has a distal end and a proximal end with openings therein and which has sufficient radial strength in the expanded condition to hold open a damaged section of an arterial lining;
• c. an elongated control wire disposed within the first lumen with the distal end thereof secured to the distal end of the expandable cage and;
• d. means on the proximal end of the control wire to move the control wire proximally within the first lumen to decrease the axial distance between the proximal and distal ends of the expandable cage and thereby radially expand the expandable cage to hold open a damaged section of an arterial lining and to move the control wire distally within the first lumen to increase the axial distance between the ends of the expandable cage and thereby radially contract the expandable cage sufficiently to remove the expandable cage from the damaged section of the arterial lining;
• e. wherein the expandable cage is formed from about 4 to about 20 wires, and;
• f. wherein a substantial number of the wires forming the expandable cage are made of radiopaque material.