Patent ID: 7593778

Claim:
A radiopaque cannula for Insertion into a patient's body, the cannula comprising: a radiopaque and electrically conductive elongate member of a fixed length, having a proximal end and a distal end and defining a lumen therebetween, the elongate member including an electrically exposed region and an electrically Insulated region, an outer diameter of the cannula at the electrically Insulated region being larger than an outer diameter of the cannula at the electrically exposed region; a radiopaque marker located adjacent a distal end of the insulated region where the outer diameter of the cannula varies from the larger outer diameter of the insulated region to the smaller diameter of the exposed region, a distal end of the marker being tapered to provide a transition from the smaller outer diameter of the electrically exposed region to the larger outer diameter of the electrically insulated region; and the radiopaque marker being visible under radiographic imaging for distinguishing the exposed region from the insulated region.