| 摘要 |
PURPOSE: To improve the flexibility of a catheter and to guide IR light or UV light to a curving mechanism part by forming groove parts at a catheter body wall in the curving part of the catheter, packing a photoresponsive material into these groove parts and selectively irradiating this photosensitive material with light for driving. CONSTITUTION: This catheter is composed of a catheter body 1, an operation part 3 for curving the curving part 14 and a control part 2 for curving the curving part 14 by receiving signals from the operation part 3. The plural grooves 6 are formed on the outside wall of the outer layer of the catheter of the curving part 14 and the photoresponsive material 5 is packed therein. The walls of the curving parts 14 of the hollow optical waveguides 7a and 7b spirally arranged within the tube wall of the catheter 1 are partially bored with holes so that the photoresponsive material 5 is irradiated with the light. The outside surface of the catheter 1 of the curving part 14 is covered with a sleeve 13 consisting of a flexible polymer material having moisture permeability to prevent the leakage of the photoresponsive material 5. |
