Sizing catheter for measuring cardiovascular structures
First Claim
1. A sizing catheter for measuring the size of an internal opening or defect within a patient, said sizing catheter including:
- a tubular shaft having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end thereof, said tubular shaft further having a lumen extending between the proximal end and a region short of the distal end and terminating into ports extending through the tubular shaft from the lumen to an outer surface of the tubular shaft, wherein an elongated compliant balloon affixed to the tubular shaft proximate the distal end of the tubular shaft encloses the ports and, when positioned within the opening and inflated, resists deformation up to an inflation threshold such that when the inflation threshold is reached fluid flow between the balloon and the opening terminates.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sizing catheter and method of measuring a preselected internal opening within a patient to provide a rapid and precise determination of first and second stretched diameters of the preselected internal opening. The sizing catheter includes a dilation balloon constructed of a thin expandable plastic, which is inflatable and is utilized to determine a size of the preselected opening. The dilation balloon is inflated to an inflation threshold wherein the dilation balloon deforms about the preselected opening and the size of the dilation balloon adjacent the preselected opening approximates the first stretched diameter of the preselected opening. The sizing catheter and method may be utilized to determine an appropriate sized device to be positioned within the preselected opening.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A sizing catheter for measuring the size of an internal opening or defect within a patient, said sizing catheter including:
- a tubular shaft having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end thereof, said tubular shaft further having a lumen extending between the proximal end and a region short of the distal end and terminating into ports extending through the tubular shaft from the lumen to an outer surface of the tubular shaft, wherein an elongated compliant balloon affixed to the tubular shaft proximate the distal end of the tubular shaft encloses the ports and, when positioned within the opening and inflated, resists deformation up to an inflation threshold such that when the inflation threshold is reached fluid flow between the balloon and the opening terminates.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A sizing catheter for measuring the size of an internal opening or defect within a patient, said sizing catheter including:
- a tubular shaft having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end thereof, said tubular shaft further having a lumen extending between the proximal end and a region short of the distal end and terminating into ports extending through the tubular shaft from the lumen to an outer surface of the tubular shaft, wherein an elongated compliant balloon affixed to the tubular shaft proximate the distal end of the tubular shaft encloses the ports and, when positioned within the opening and inflated, resists deformation up to an inflation threshold such that when the inflation threshold is reached fluid flow between the balloon and the opening terminates, said proximal end of said tubular shaft having a pressure sensor coupled thereto to measure a pressure within the lumen.
- View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of determining a size of an internal opening or defect within a patient, said method including the steps of:
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a) providing a catheter having an elongated balloon for sizing a predetermined internal opening of a patient, said elongated balloon being constructed of a thin expandable plastic and being inflatable to thereby approximate a size of the predetermined opening;
b) positioning the elongated balloon within the predetermined opening;
c) viewing the internal position of the elongated balloon; and
d) inflating said elongated balloon to an inflation threshold, such that the elongated balloon deforms about the predetermined opening wherein fluid ceases flowing between the elongated balloon and the opening. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification