| 摘要 |
A steerable medical probe device, such as a catheter, comprises a flexible, inner tubular body, a plurality of electrical conductors wrapped about the inner tubular body; and an insulating layer surrounding the conductors. Rigid non-conductive rings are adhesively secured at axially spaced locations along the distal end of the probe. A plurality of shape memory titanium-nickel wires extend between adjacent pairs of rings, and are electrically connected to a control device and power source. The control device may be operated to apply low current pulses selectively through one or more of the wires to effect contraction of the heated wires and thereby cause the distal end of the probe to bend in a desired direction.
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