| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a variable stiffness guidewire having a tube which provides increased flexibility without sacrificing stiffness, further to provide a guide wire with a spring having regions of different stiffness. <P>SOLUTION: A guidewire 10 navigable through body vessels of a human subject for delivery of a catheter or the like is provided. The guidewire has a tube which receives a corewire 20 that protrudes beyond a distal portion 16 of the tube 12. The protruding portion of the corewire is surrounded by a spring and shapeable into a curve or arc. The cross-sectional shape of the spring may be varied in order to promote bending flexibility and curvature or to favor curvature of a chosen type. The corewire is axially movable with respect to the tube, which compresses or stretches the spring to change the stiffness of the spring. The tube has a proximal portion comprised of a relatively rigid material, such as stainless steel, while a distal portion is comprised of a more flexible material, such as a nitinol. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT |
