Valvuloplasty catheter with balloon which remains stable during inflation
US4986830A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 22, 1989 |
| Grant date | Jan 22, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 22, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2017/22098
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A valvuloplasty catheter is described which includes an elongated flexible plastic tube dimensioned so as to allow it to be passed through the vascular system. Affixed to the distal end portion of the tube is an inflatable expander member which is intended to be positioned in the annulus of the valve to be treated. Inflation ports expose the interior of the expander member to the lumen of the tube so that when an inflation fluid is injected, under pressure, at the distal end of the tube, the expander member expands radially outward to spread the valve and free-up its leaflets. The novelty resides in providing first and second inflation ports of differing size so that the expander member inflates so as to create a dog-bone effect, tending to stabilize the expander member relative to the valve being treated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.