| 摘要 |
Plaque accumulation in the blood vessels of a patient is removed by a laser beam acting directly on the plaque. The laser beam is conducted to the plaque by a hollow tubular catheter which is sufficiently resilient and flexible so that it may be snaked through a blood vessel to the location of the plaque. The tube has an internal mirrored surface and its internal wall is formed from plastic resin tape having one surface coated with a mirror material. The tape is covered by an elongated spring which, in turn, is covered by a smooth plastic resin coating forming the exterior wall of the tube. In one embodiment the spring is replaced by a series of rings, with each ring having opposed loops to guide wires, with the wires being strung parallel with the axis of the tube. The wires are fastened to the innermost and outermost rings so that manipulation of the outermost ring will selectively pull the wires to direct the direction of the tube.
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