Patent ID: 7226472

Claim:
A catheter balloon comprising: a median section having a proximal and distal end and a transverse cross sectional area in mm 2 when the balloon is inflated; a first cone section proximal to the proximal end of the median section and a second cone section distal to the distal end of the median section, each such first and second cone sections having a volume in mm 3 when the balloon is inflated, wherein the ratio of the volume of either of the cone sections to the transverse cross sectional area of the median section of at least about 2.1 mm; and wherein at least one of such cone sections comprises a stepped configuration comprising a plurality of sections and wherein at least one of the plurality of sections defines an internal angle relative to the median section of greater than 180 degrees and the median section having a diameter greater than the at least one of such cone sections comprising a stepped configuration.