REMOVABLE CORE BALLOON ON A WIRE

摘要

A kink resistant balloon catheter for insertion into a bodily conduit. The catheter (10) includes a shaft (20), a radiopaque distal tip (35), a dilatation balloon (33) between the shaft and the distal tip, and a removable core wire (40). The shaft includes a kink resistant, cross-wound multifilar (CWMF) coil (21) enclosed by a polymeric sleeve (22) and defining a central lumen (28) for delivery of a fluid inflation medium for inflating the balloon. A fixed core wire (36) interconnects the CWMF coil and the distal tip. In a method for widening constricted bodily passages using the novel balloon catheter, the removable core wire is inserted to assist positioning of the catheter, and is removed to permit rapid inflation and deflation of the balloon.