Patent ID: 8632556

Claim:
A method of treating a blood vessel with an intravascular device, the blood vessel having a vascular wall defining a vascular lumen containing an occlusion therein, the occlusion being disposed between a proximal segment of the vascular lumen and a distal segment of the vascular lumen, the method comprising: inserting the intravascular device into the vascular lumen, the intravascular device including a shaft defining a longitudinal axis and a tip located at a distal end of the shaft, wherein an outer diameter of the tip is greater than a diameter of the distal end of the shaft, a proximal portion of the tip tapering towards the shaft, and wherein the intravascular device defines a device lumen; rotating the intravascular device about the longitudinal axis to produce relative motion at an interface between the tip and surrounding tissue; advancing the tip out of the proximal segment of the vascular lumen into the vascular wall; advancing the intravascular device within the vascular wall to establish a channel in the vascular wall extending longitudinally across the occlusion; advancing the tip of the intravascular device into the distal segment of the vascular lumen distal of the occlusion; positioning a guidewire through the device lumen and into the vascular lumen beyond the occlusion; and withdrawing the intravascular device over the guidewire.