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Balloon catheter

  • US 6,656,153 B1
  • Filed: 03/08/2000
  • Issued: 12/02/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A balloon catheter comprising:

  • an outer tube having a first lumen inside the outer tube, a balloon portion having a proximal end joined to a distal end of the outer tube and a distal end of the balloon portion joined to a tubular shaped front tip portion axially spaced from said distal end of said outer tube, said front tip portion having a valve element sealing the balloon space inside the balloon portion from the outside of the balloon portion and being formed of a resilient material and operative to normally close the balloon portion in order to form a balloon space inside the balloon portion, into which a pressurized fluid is introduced and released through the first lumen of the outer tube to give an expanded and contracted state, an inner tube having a second lumen therein, said inner tube extending inside the first lumen of the outer tube and being mounted therein to freely slide in the axial direction, projecting out from the distal end of the outer tube, and said inner tube penetrating said front tip portion and being detachably attached thereto and effective to close said tip portion upon withdrawal of said inner tube therefrom to thereby close said balloon portion, wherein a distal end of the inner tube is detachably attached to the valve element for closing the valve element when the inner tube is withdrawn therefrom, wherein the valve element is formed with a tight-fit hole, a clearance with the inner tube is sealed in a state in which a distal end of the inner tube is inserted into the tight-fit hole, and the tight-fit hole being closeable upon withdrawal of said distal end of the inner tube to enable the balloon space at an inside of the balloon portion to be sealed from outside of the balloon portion in the state in which the inner tube, when detached from the tight-fit hole, closes the tight-fit hole to seal the balloon space, wherein a maximum outer diameter of the valve element is larger than an inside diameter of the front tip portion in a state before the valve element is attached to an inside of the front tip portion and wherein the valve element is compressed and elastically deformed to the inside of the front tip portion and is attached in the state with the tight-fit hole closed, wherein an extra clearance space for elastic deformation of the valve element in the axial direction is formed inside the front tip portion in order to widen the tight-fit hole in a state in which a distal end of the inner tube is inserted into the tight-fit hole of the valve element, and wherein the front tip portion has stopper members positioned at both sides of the valve element in the axial direction to create the extra clearance space inside the front tip portion and the stopper members are constructed to allow passage of the inner tube.

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