Patent ID: 6379374
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A small diameter vasocclusive coil deployment system for use in placing a coil at a preselected site within a vessel comprising:an elongated flexible catheter having a lumen extending therethrough so as to define an outer wall and having a proximal sect ion and a distal section, said distal section of the catheter being formed of a material having a durometer which exhibits the characteristic that when a fluid pressure is applied to the lumen of the catheter the outer wall of the distal section of the catheter is caused to expand outwardly; an embolic coil assembly comprised of a helically wound flexible coil having proximal and distal ends and a cylindrical headpiece having proximal and distal sections, the distal section of the headpiece is disposed within the proximal end of the helically wound coil and the proximal section of the headpiece extends outwardly beyond the proximal end of the helically wound coil, said proximal section of the cylindrical headpiece having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the lumen of the catheter and said proximal section of said cylindrical headpiece being disposed in fluid-tight engagement within the lumen of the distal section of the catheter; and, a syringe coupled to the proximal section of the catheter for applying a fluid pressure to the interior of the catheter to thereby cause the distal section of the catheter to expand outwardly to thereby release the cylindrical headpiece to thereby deploy the embolic coil assembly.