Apparatus and method for vasodilation
First Claim
1. An apparatus for dilating a blood vessel in vasospasm filled with a first fluid comprisinga catheter comprising a lumen containing a second fluid, wherein said first and second fluids can be the same or different,a wave generator arranged within said catheter lumen for generating a hydraulic wave front that propagates through the second fluid in said lumen and is transmitted from a distal end of said catheter to propagate through the first fluid in the blood vessel, wherein said wave generator is controlled and located at a distance from the distal end of said catheter such that no shock wave is propagated in the blood vessel, andan energy source connected to said wave generator to provide energy to produce said wave front.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for dilating blood vessels in vasospasm through the use of high frequency wave, e.g., hydraulic or acoustic waves. The invention is suitable to treat any vasospasm, including any vasospasm intractable to medication, including cerebral vasospasm, which currently is not susceptible to any mechanical or chemical treatments. The apparatus for dilating blood vessels includes a catheter having a fluid-filled lumen, a wave generator arranged within the catheter lumen for generating a wave front that propagates through the fluid in the lumen and is transmitted from the distal end of the catheter to propagate through the fluid in the blood vessel, and an energy source connected to the wave generator to provide energy to produce the wave front.
146 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for dilating a blood vessel in vasospasm filled with a first fluid comprising
a catheter comprising a lumen containing a second fluid, wherein said first and second fluids can be the same or different, a wave generator arranged within said catheter lumen for generating a hydraulic wave front that propagates through the second fluid in said lumen and is transmitted from a distal end of said catheter to propagate through the first fluid in the blood vessel, wherein said wave generator is controlled and located at a distance from the distal end of said catheter such that no shock wave is propagated in the blood vessel, and an energy source connected to said wave generator to provide energy to produce said wave front.
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10. An apparatus for dilating a blood vessel in vasospasm filled with a first fluid comprising
a catheter comprising a lumen containing a second fluid, wherein said first and second fluids can be the same or different, a laser energy conducting filament arranged axially within said catheter lumen such that laser energy emitted from said filament generates a cavitation bubble within said catheter lumen that generates a hydraulic wave front that propagates through the second fluid in said lumen and is transmitted from a distal end of said catheter to propagate through the first fluid in the blood vessel, wherein a distal end of said filament is located within said catheter at a distance from the distal end of said catheter such that no shock wave is propagated in the blood vessel, and a laser energy source connected to said conducting filament to provide said laser energy emitted from said filament to generate said wave front.
Specification