Patent ID: 6394978
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: A61F,A61M

Abstract:
A system for enabling an interventional procedure to be performed in a blood vessel at an interventional procedure site, comprising:a catheter, including an elongated shaft which includes a distal end portion adapted to be positioned in a blood vessel distal to an interventional procedure site; and an expandable member, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, and to be expanded and deployed in the blood vessel distal to the interventional procedure site, including a wall having an inner surface including portions thereof which are adapted to be substantially in contact in unexpanded condition, and including means for enabling expansion of the unexpanded substantially in contact portions of the inner surface of the wall to be expandable in the blood vessel distal to the interventional procedure site upon expansion of the expandable member, wherein the expandable member wall includes a portion adapted to be fixed and a portion adapted to be expandable, and the expansion enabling means comprise the thickness of the wall being adapted to be substantially variable from the fixed portion to the expandable portion.