Patent ID: 7011670

Claim:
An apparatus for use in performing an angioplasty procedure at the site of a stenosis in the vasculature of a patient which comprises: an expanding member defining an axis, said expanding member having an external surface and being insertable into the vasculature of a patient for movement therein between a first configuration wherein the external surface is relatively near said axis and a second configuration wherein the external surface is relatively far from said axis; and a plurality of blade segments mounted on said expanding member, wherein each blade segment has a sharp edge with each said blade segment being axially off-set from, and a portion thereof juxtaposed to an adjacent blade segment to allow relative movement therebetween during a movement of said member from said first configuration into said second configuration, and wherein the respective sharp edges of the plurality of blade segments collectively extend along a substantially same cutting line to embed at least one of said plurality of blade segments into the stenosis while said external surface of said expanding member conforms with the stenosis and the vasculature of the patient.