SYSTEMS FOR TREATING A HOLLOW ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE
First Claim
1. A catheter for use in conjunction with a reference location to treat a blood vessel, the catheter comprising:
- an elongate member having a distal end and a proximal end, the elongate member configured for insertion, with the distal end leading, into a blood vessel;
an energy treatment element toward the distal end of the elongate member, the energy treatment element having a treatment length; and
a plurality of index markings located on the elongate member and configured to be movably indexed adjacent the reference location to position the energy treatment element at sequential locations along the length of the blood vessel;
wherein consecutive index markings are spaced apart by a movement length that is related to, but smaller than the treatment length, such that the movement length is about 1% to about 15% less than the treatment length and is thus configured to provide overlap of consecutive treated segments of the blood vessel when the energy treatment element is moved along the blood vessel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A working end of a catheter includes at least one therapeutic element, such as a resistive heating element, usable to deliver energy for ligating, or reducing the diameter of, a hollow anatomical structure. In certain examples, the catheter includes a lumen to accommodate a guide wire or to allow fluid delivery. In certain embodiments, a balloon is inflated to place resistive element(s) into apposition with a hollow anatomical structure and to occlude the structure. Indexing devices and methods are also disclosed for successively treating portions of the hollow anatomical structure. In certain examples, marks along the catheter shaft provide visual verification to the physician of the relative position of the therapeutic element of the catheter. Embodiments of indexing devices may include pairs of rings and/or hinged arms that move a catheter a desired indexed position between successive treatments.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A catheter for use in conjunction with a reference location to treat a blood vessel, the catheter comprising:
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an elongate member having a distal end and a proximal end, the elongate member configured for insertion, with the distal end leading, into a blood vessel; an energy treatment element toward the distal end of the elongate member, the energy treatment element having a treatment length; and a plurality of index markings located on the elongate member and configured to be movably indexed adjacent the reference location to position the energy treatment element at sequential locations along the length of the blood vessel; wherein consecutive index markings are spaced apart by a movement length that is related to, but smaller than the treatment length, such that the movement length is about 1% to about 15% less than the treatment length and is thus configured to provide overlap of consecutive treated segments of the blood vessel when the energy treatment element is moved along the blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7)
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6. Apparatus for use in treating a blood vessel, the apparatus comprising:
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an elongate member sized for insertion into a blood vessel and having a distal section and a proximal section; a treating element having a treatment length and located adjacent the distal section of the elongate member; and a plurality of index markings located on the elongate member and configured to be movably indexed to sequentially position the treating element along the length of the blood vessel; wherein consecutive index markings are spaced apart by a second length, the second length being from approximately 0.1 centimeter to approximately 1.5 centimeters less than the first length to ensure overlap of consecutive treated segments of the blood vessel when the treating element is moved along the blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus for treating a blood vessel, the apparatus comprising:
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an elongate member having a distal section and a proximal section; and a treating element having a treatment length; and a plurality of index markings along the elongate member; wherein consecutive index markings are spaced apart by an index length, the index length being from approximately 0.1 centimeter to approximately 1.5 centimeters less than the treatment length to ensure overlap of consecutive treated segments of the blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification