Apparatus and methods for dilating vasospasm of small intracranial arteries
US7651488B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 15, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jan 26, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 22, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M2025/0057
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A device and method for treatment of intracranial vasospasm is provided. The device is a microcatheter having a steeply tapered end and is thicker walled, and in a preferred embodiment is braided to provide greater pushability. In order to achieve a thicker walled catheter, in one embodiment, the inner lumen diameter can be reduced, leaving the outer diameter the same while in another embodiment the catheter is larger in outer diameter. In one embodiment, the microcatheter is coated with performance enhancing lubricant, such as a hydrophilic coating. Further, the microcatheter can also be coated with drugs and serve as a drug delivery device, drugs being embedded into vessel intima. In the use of the method of treatment, the device is fed into the smaller arterial vessels in the brain simultaneously dilating arteries of various caliber along the path of the catheter to relieve vasospasm; pharmacological agents can then be delivered by the microcatheter to further effect treatment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.