Intravascular ultrasonic angioplasty probe

Patent 5069664 Issued on December 3, 1991. Estimated Expiration Date:

January 25, 2010. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Assignee

Inter Therapy, Inc.

Application

No. 469770 filed on 01/25/1990

US Classes:

604/22, With means for cutting, scarifying, or vibrating (e.g., ultrasonic, etc.) tissue600/442, Tissue attenuation or impedance measurement or compensation606/128With fragmenting means

Examiners

Primary: Apley, Richard J.
Assistant: Thomas, L.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Nixon & Vanderhye

International Class

A61B 017/32

Abstract

A probe for ultrasonically removing unwanted biological material, for example, from a vessel in a patient's cardiovascular system, includes a catheter assembly having distal and proximal catheter sections, each defining a respective lumen. A subassembly is connected to and between these catheter sections and houses piezoceramic transducer elements which are adapted to vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies. An elongate flexible working element (e.g., one or more wire elements) is housed within the distal catheter section and projects beyond that section's distal end so as to be adapted to contact unwanted biological material. The proximal end of the working element is coupled to the transducer elements via ultrasonic coupling structures so as to responsively vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies. The subassembly also defines an aspiration channel which fluid-connects the lumens of the proximal and distal catheter sections so that unwanted biological material removed by the ultrasonically vibrated working element may be aspirated to a patient-external specimen collection site.