Patent ID: 6458088
Filing Date: 2002-10-01
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
A medical guidewire having a length greater than 24 inches for use in intravascular medical procedures and compatible with magnetic resonance, the guidewire having proximal and distal ends, comprising:at least one thin core fiber extending for substantially the length of the guidewire, the core fiber being made of a glass having a high specific electric impedance; wherein a distal segment of the glass core fiber tapers to a diameter at its distal end that is smaller than the diameter of a major portion of the core fiber; a polymer sheath surrounding the core fiber, and which is affixed to the core fiber at least at a proximal and a distal end with an adhesive; wherein the core fiber has a breaking strength, said core fiber being covered with a cladding for increasing said breaking strength and; at least one marker positioned near a distal end of the guidewire, wherein the marker is visible under magnetic resonance due to susceptibility-induced magnetic field inhomogeneity, and wherein the guidewire is formed substantially entirely of non-metallic materials.