Catheter with flexible walls at least in the tip region

摘要

Problem: for angiographic examinations, catheters must be placed selectively or superselectively into selected hollow organs in order to produce, inter alia, X-ray images during administration of a contrast agent. The procedure may be very time-consuming and is involved with a correspondingly high radiation exposure for patient and examination team; failures are also possible. It is the object to develop a catheter that can be actively controlled selectively and superselectively and which is intended to be able to assume desired curvatures in defined sections, so that the catheter can be pushed selectively into a selected vessel. Solution to the problem: by variation of the length on one side the catheter is curved over its longitudinal course. Due to a defined curvature in the tip region, a selected vessel can be selectively examined and the catheter can thus be placed selectively or superselectively. It can be applied in the medical field, above all in angiography and interventional diagnostic and therapeutic methods. <IMAGE>