Method and apparatus for removing and/or enlarging constricted areas in vessels conducting body fluids
First Claim
1. An apparatus, adapted for use with means for supplying a dissolving fluid to an isolated area in a vascular passageway, of a size to fit within a vascular passageway conducting body fluids, such as arteries and veins conducting blood, for selectively isolating constricted areas in the vascular passageway, such as stenosis, and treating the isolated area with the dissolving fluid, the apparatus comprising a flexible treatment catheter, two balloon means disposed near the end of the flexible catheter, each of the two balloon means being expandable by a pressure medium so as to contact the inside of the passageway and being controllable from outside the catheter, the two balloon means being disposed one after the other at such a distance that one balloon means is adapted to be placed ahead of and the other behind the constricted area, the two balloon means being expandable for operatively sealing off and thereby isolating the constricted area, at least two partition walls extending substantially the full length of the catheter subdividing the catheter into at least four channel means, opening means in said catheter connecting two of the at least four channel means to the area isolated by the two balloon means, whereby dissolving fluid for treatment of the isolated area can be supplied to the isolated area through one of the opening means from outside the catheter and removed from the isolated area through another of said opening means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for comminuting and/or eliminating constricted areas in vessels of all types whereby fissures and cracks in the vessel walls during the treatment of stenosis in blood vessels and also coronary obstruction are to be avoided. A treatment catheter is used which is equipped with two inflatable balloons which seal off a constriction place in a vessel on both sides thereof whereby the degree of expansion of both balloons is externally regulatable. An inlet member for the supply of means dissolving the material of the constriction area or comminuting the same into smaller particles and an outlet member for the removal of the dissolved or comminuted material of the constriction place are provided in the walls of the treatment catheter within the area delimited by the two balloons. These inlet and outlet members are in communication with a channel accessible from the outside.
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Citations
40 Claims
- 1. An apparatus, adapted for use with means for supplying a dissolving fluid to an isolated area in a vascular passageway, of a size to fit within a vascular passageway conducting body fluids, such as arteries and veins conducting blood, for selectively isolating constricted areas in the vascular passageway, such as stenosis, and treating the isolated area with the dissolving fluid, the apparatus comprising a flexible treatment catheter, two balloon means disposed near the end of the flexible catheter, each of the two balloon means being expandable by a pressure medium so as to contact the inside of the passageway and being controllable from outside the catheter, the two balloon means being disposed one after the other at such a distance that one balloon means is adapted to be placed ahead of and the other behind the constricted area, the two balloon means being expandable for operatively sealing off and thereby isolating the constricted area, at least two partition walls extending substantially the full length of the catheter subdividing the catheter into at least four channel means, opening means in said catheter connecting two of the at least four channel means to the area isolated by the two balloon means, whereby dissolving fluid for treatment of the isolated area can be supplied to the isolated area through one of the opening means from outside the catheter and removed from the isolated area through another of said opening means.
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25. A method for selectively removing and enlarging constricted areas in passageways conducting body fluids, such as stenosis in arteries and veins conducting blood, the method comprising inserting a flexible treatment catheter sized to fit within a vascular passageway in a constricted area of said vascular passageway, the catheter having two balloon means disposed near the end of the flexible catheter, the two balloon means being expandable by a pressure medium so as to contact the inside of the passageway and being controllable from outside the catheter, at least two longitudinal partition walls extending substantially the full length of the catheter for subdividing the catheter into at least four channels, two of the at least four channels leading into an area adapted to be sealed off by the expanded two balloon means, and opening means connecting said two of the at least four channel means to the area sealed off by the balloon means;
- positioning the two balloon means so as to be disposed one after the other at such a distance that one balloon means is ahead of and the other behind the constricted area;
sealing off a section of the passageway containing the constricted area by expanding the two balloon means;
applying to the sealed off constricted area a dissolving material of predetermined concentration for a predetermined period;
removing dissolved material of the constricted area out of the sealed off area of the passageway; and
withdrawing the catheter. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
- positioning the two balloon means so as to be disposed one after the other at such a distance that one balloon means is ahead of and the other behind the constricted area;
Specification