Atherectomy and prostectomy system

摘要

An improved system for removing atheromas in a blood vessel or ablating tissue of a gland that includes a catheter with a housing containing a cutout or window at its distal end, and an excising or ablating element disposed therein. The excising or ablating element is characterized by at least one cutting blade with a relatively straight cutting edge, that has a length approximately the same as the length of the cutout when measured along a longitudinal axis of the system. In operation, the cutout is positioned at the site at which treatment is to be rendered using a guiding element. Each cutting blade then is caused to reciprocate by a driving element and to move back and forth by an actuating element to alternately cover and uncover the cutout. In the process of reciprocating and traversing the cutout the cutting blade or cutting blades remove the target atheroma or tissue.