Expandable-collapsible electrode structures with distal end steering or manipulation
US5846238A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 8, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 8, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 8, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2018/00839
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Collapsible electrode assemblies and associated methods employing a structure having an axis and a distal end. The structure comprises a wall peripherally enclosing an interior. The structure is adapted to selectively assume an expanded geometry having a first maximum diameter about the axis and a collapsed geometry having a second maximum diameter about the axis less than the first maximum diameter. An electrically conductive material is carried by the wall, forming an electrode region adapted to conform to both the normally expanded geometry and the collapsed geometry of the structure. In one implementation, a flexing element in the interior of the structure bends within the interior along the axis of the structure to displace the distal end relative to the axis. In another implementation, a stilette element within the interior of the structure imparts axial force upon the distal end along the axis of the structure, thereby axially elongating or shortening the structure.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.