Patent ID: 8357138

Claim:
A method for performing angioplasty, comprising: inserting a guide wire through a treatment catheter to form a treatment catheter assembly; inserting the treatment catheter assembly through an opening in a tubular wall of an anchoring catheter to form a unit; inserting a guiding catheter into a patient such that the distal end of the guiding catheter is inserted into the origin of the patient's artery; inserting the unit through the guiding catheter; extending the anchoring catheter partially out of the guiding catheter and into the blood vessel; securing the anchoring catheter to the blood vessel; sliding the treatment catheter through the opening in the tubular wall of the anchoring catheter and along the guide wire until a treatment element disposed on the treatment catheter is adjacent a plaque area of the blood vessel; actuating the treatment element to treat the plaque area of the blood vessel.