| 摘要 |
<p>An improved dilatation catheter is described which has an oblong transverse cross section along essentially its entire length and a stiffening mandrel (23) extending within the proximal section and a part of the distal portion. In a presently preferred embodiment, the large dimension of the proximal section (24) of the catheter shaft (11) is greater than the corresponding large dimension of the distal shaft section (25) and a tapered region is provided between the proximal and distal shaft sections. The stiffening mandrel (23) has a proximal section with at least one dimension greater than the corresponding dimension of the distal section and a tapered transition section (26) is provided between the proximal and distal mandrel sections. The length of the proximal section of the mandrel is such so as to locate the tapered transition section (26) of the mandrel within the proximal section of the catheter shaft. This results in a smoother overall transition between the proximal and distal sections of the catheter shaft.</p> |
