Apparatus and methods for treating hardened vascular lesions
First Claim
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1. An angioplasty catheter comprising:
- a catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end;
a radially expandable shell near the distal end of the catheter body;
an external structure carried over but unattached to the shell, wherein the external structure has a distal end fixedly attached to the catheter body at a location distal to the radially expansible shell so that a proximal end of the external structure is drawn distally axially and/or rotates relative to the catheter body as the shell is radially expanded; and
an attachment structure having a proximal end fixedly attached to the catheter body and a distal end attached to the proximal end of the external structure, wherein the attachment structure is sufficiently sized and compliant to accommodate movements of the external structure relative to the catheter body which are produced by the external structure as it is expanded by the shell wherein the attachment structure comprises an elastic polymeric compliance tube having an outer diameter and an inner diameter that extends over the catheter body, wherein the distal end of the compliance tube does not extend over the radially expansible shell.
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Abstract
An angioplasty catheter comprises a catheter body having a balloon or other radially expandable shell at its distal end. A non-axial external structure is carried over the shell and scores a stenosed region in a blood vessel when the balloon is inflated therein. The catheter has an attachment structure disposed between the catheter body and the balloon to accommodate foreshortening and rotation of the external structure as the balloon is expanded. The external structure may be part of a helical cage structure which floats over the balloon.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. An angioplasty catheter comprising:
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a catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end; a radially expandable shell near the distal end of the catheter body; an external structure carried over but unattached to the shell, wherein the external structure has a distal end fixedly attached to the catheter body at a location distal to the radially expansible shell so that a proximal end of the external structure is drawn distally axially and/or rotates relative to the catheter body as the shell is radially expanded; and an attachment structure having a proximal end fixedly attached to the catheter body and a distal end attached to the proximal end of the external structure, wherein the attachment structure is sufficiently sized and compliant to accommodate movements of the external structure relative to the catheter body which are produced by the external structure as it is expanded by the shell wherein the attachment structure comprises an elastic polymeric compliance tube having an outer diameter and an inner diameter that extends over the catheter body, wherein the distal end of the compliance tube does not extend over the radially expansible shell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method of dilating a stenosed region in a blood vessel, the method comprising:
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introducing an external structure having a distal end and a proximal end carried over an expandable shell, wherein the external structure is unattached to the shell, the distal end is fixedly attached to a catheter body, and the proximal end is connected to the catheter body by an attachment structure; and expanding the expandable shell to dilate external structure within the stenosed region within the blood vessel, wherein the proximal end of the external structure moves distally and the attachment structure axially lengthens to accommodate such distal movement of the external structure as the shell is expanded, wherein the attachment structure comprises a compliance tube having an outer diameter and an inner diameter, wherein the compliance tube extends over the catheter body. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification