Method and apparatus for dilatation of a stenotic vessel
AssigneeInterventional Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDennis Vigil, Thomas E. Olson
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of operation are disclosed for using an expandable balloon catheter to perform a combination angioplasty and atherectomy procedure on a stenotic blood vessel. The expandable balloon has a plurality of atherotomes attached to its outer surface, and longitudinal, transverse, or rotational oscillatory motion is imparted to the atherotomes to assist in incising the stenotic tissue, prior to or during dilatation of the stenotic segment of the blood vessel.
Claims7
An expanding balloon catheter dilatation system using oscillatory motion, for dilating a stenotic blood vessel, comprising:
- a balloon enclosing an expandable chamber;
- a hollow catheter tube attached to said balloon in fluid communication with said chamber;
- at least one atherotome mounted on the exterior surface of said balloon;
- and
- an oscillatory device mechanically linked to said at least one atherotome for imparting oscillatory motion to said at least one atherotome.
An expanding balloon catheter dilatation system using oscillatory motion, for dilating a stenotic blood vessel, comprising:
- an elongated balloon enclosing an expandable chamber;
- a hollow catheter tube attached to said balloon in fluid communication with said chamber;
- a plurality of elongated atherotomes mounted externally on said balloon, parallel to the longitudinal axis of said balloon, with the cutting edges of said atherotomes directed radially outwardly from said longitudinal axis;
- and
- a vibrator mechanically linked to said catheter tube for imparting longitudinal oscillatory motion to said plurality of atherotomes via said balloon and via said catheter tube.
A method for dilatation of a stenotic blood vessel, comprising the steps of:
- mounting an expandable balloon on a hollow catheter tube, to form a catheter assembly;
- mounting at least one atherotome on an exterior surface of said balloon;
- attaching said catheter tube to a vibrator capable of producing longitudinal vibrations;
- inserting said catheter assembly into a blood vessel;
- advancing said balloon and said at least one atherotome to a stenosis in the blood vessel;
- and
- simultaneously imparting longitudinal vibrations to said at least one atherotome via said catheter tube and via said balloon to incise said stenosis and expanding said balloon to dilate the blood vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.