| 摘要 |
<p>A hot tip catheter assembly (3) is disclosed which resolves atherosclerotic plaque buildup in vivo. The catheter has a heater (12), a cap (14), thermocouple, power leads (22a, 22b), thermocouple leads (20), and a central distal lumen (17) to position the catheter within the artery. The catheter tip has a thin, non-adhesive coating (25) of a hard, heat-conducting material. The thermocouple is used to continuously evaluate the temperature at the tip of the catheter, and the temperature is then regulated by a computer controlled feedback system. The catheter can completely melt the buildup without damage to the artery by direct contact with the plaque, without use of balloon catheter angioplasty.</p> |
