Apparatus and method for cryogenic inhibition of hyperplasia
AssigneeCryoVascular Systems, Inc.
InventorsJames Joye, Ronald Williams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Post-angioplasty hyperplasia in blood vessels is treated using a cryosurgical balloon catheter. The balloon catheter is positioned at a target region within the blood vessel, and the balloon inflated by expanding a cryogenic fluid, such as liquid nitrogen, across an expansion orifice into a balloon. The balloon will be constructed so that cooling is achieved primarily in the central regions of the balloon, with the proximal and distal regions being less cold and acting to insulate adjacent regions of the blood vessel from excessive cooling.
Claims7
A cryosurgical system comprising:
- a flexible catheter body hating a proximal end, a distal end, and a gas exhaust lumen and fluid supply lumen therebetween;
- a sealed intravascular balloon disposed near the distal end of the catheter body;
- a sealed containment balloon disposed within the intravascular balloon and in fluid communication with the exhaust lumen, the balloons expandable so that the intravascular balloon radially engages a surrounding vessel wall;
- a cryogenic cooling fluid supply;
- and
- at least one port disposed within the containment balloon and in fluid communication with the cooling fluid supply.
A cryosurgical catheter for use in a blood vessel having a vessel wall, the cryosurgical catheter comprising:
- a flexible catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end, and a gas exhaust lumen defining an axis therebetween, the exhaust gas lumen having an opening near the distal end;
- a balloon disposed at the distal end of the catheter body over the opening of the exhaust lumen, the balloon having a balloon wall with proximal and distal ends and a radially oriented region extending therebetween, the wall being radially expandable to thermally engage the surrounding vessel wall;
- a cryogenic cooling fluid supply;
- and
- at least one cooling fluid distribution port in communication with the fluid supply and disposed within the balloon, the at least one port directing at least a portion of the cooling fluid against the balloon wall as a liquid which vaporizes to cool the region of the expanded balloon wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.