摘要 |
A medical instrument which is insertable into an arterial system to incise an arterial stenosis is provided and includes a cutting member (32) selectively covered by a catheter sheath (16). The sheath (16) is shaped to provide protection against unintentional incisions during insertion and placement of the device. Longitudinal slots (26) are formed by the body of the sheath (16) and are engaged by alignment lugs (34) included on the cutting member (32) such that the interaction between the slots (26) and the lugs (34) provides the surgeon with added control over the length of the incisions. In operation, the device is placed next to a stenosis and the cutting member (32) is advanced relative to the sheath (16) to longitudinally incise the stenosis. After incising the stenotic segment, an inflatable balloon included on the device is placed in the stenotic segment and standard dilation is performed. <IMAGE> |