CATHETER SYSTEM HAVING IMAGING, BALLOON ANGIOPLASTY AND STENT DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITIES, AND METHOD OF USE FOR GUIDED STENT DEPLOYMENT

摘要

A catheter system (12) has a balloon angioplasty device (65) disposed about a common lumen (60) near its distal end. The balloon catheter (12) is pre-fitted with a stent (90) which is deployed when the balloon (65) is inflated. The common lumen (60) is in communication with multiple lumens (23, 25, 27) within a proximal region (15) of the catheter body (12) to allow for positioning of the catheter (12) over a movable guide wire and convenient delivery of imaging of interventional devices to a desired region of a body passageway being treated. The procedure for stent (90) deployment optionally includes steps of imaging a lumen by ultrasound (75) before and after stent (90) deployment to identify the site at which a stent (90) is needed, to confirm that the stent (90) is being and has been deployed at a longitudinal position which does not overlap a branched segment of the body passageway, and to ensure that the stent (90) has been radially opened to an optimum diameter.