Patent ID: 6221043
Filing Date: 2001-04-24
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
An inflated balloon situated at a distal portion of a balloon angioplasty catheter, the balloon having an elongated proximal spheroid segment that has a proximal end, a distal end and a length L3, the balloon also having an elongated distal spheroid segment that has a proximal end, a distal end and a length L4, the proximal spheroid segment and the distal spheroid segment each having substantially the shape of a sector of a prolate spheroid, the balloon also having a central segment that has a proximal end, a distal end and a length L1, the central segment having a substantially cylindrical shape, the distal end of the proximal spheroid segment being joined to the proximal end of the central segment and the proximal end of the distal spheroid segment being joined to the distal end of the central segment, the balloon being characterized by having the length of the central segment being less than the sum of the lengths of the proximal spheroid segment and the distal segment which can be written as L1<L3+L4, the balloon being further characterized by having a proximal end segment and a distal end segment each having a proximal end and a distal end and each having the general shape of a frustrum of a cone, the distal end of the proximal end segment being joined to the proximal end of the proximal spheroid segment and the proximal end of the distal end segment being joined to the distal end of the distal spheroid segment.