Patent ID: 7303574

Claim:
A system for treating a vascular condition, comprising: a hollow guidewire having a central lumen and an inflation hole formed in a sidewall of a proximal end of the hollow guidewire, wherein a portion of the hollow guidewire further comprises at least one longitudinally oriented slot formed therein; an occlusion balloon attached proximate to a distal end of the hollow guidewire; and a frictional valve, wherein the frictional valve includes a distal portion of a core wire positioned within the proximal end of the hollow guidewire and a valve plug attached to the distal portion of the core wire and at least one frictional plug attached to the core wire proximal to the valve plug, the at least one frictional plug positioned adjacent to the at least one longitudinally oriented slot; wherein a flow of a fluid through the central lumen of the hollow guidewire is controlled by axial translation of the core wire to position the valve plug with respect to the inflation hole, while the frictional plug provides a tailored valve compliance characteristic.