Catheter apparatus for radiation treatment of a desired area in the vascular system of a patient
US5899882A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 4, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 4, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 4, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61N2005/1023
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus and method are described for delivery of a treating element, such as a radiation source, through a catheter to a desired site in the intraluminal passageways of a patient, such as a coronary artery, for inhibiting the formation of scar tissue such as may occur in restenosis following balloon angioplasty. The apparatus includes an elongated flexible catheter tube having proximal and distal end portions, with a lumen extending therebetween, and a diameter sufficiently small for insertion in to a patient's intraluminal passageways. One or more treating elements, such as a capsule or pellet containing radioactive material, is positionable within the lumen and movable between the proximal and distal end portions under the force of liquid flowing through the lumen. A method for using such apparatus, including a method for using such apparatus simultaneously with a balloon angioplasty procedure, is disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.