Patent ID: 8430863

Claim:
A method of making a catheter for use in a patient's body lumen, configured for being viewed under ultrasonic imaging using an ultrasound imaging system outside of the patient's body lumen, comprising: a) applying an echo diffusive and dampening polymeric inner and outer layer, with an echogenic member therebetween, on an outer surface of the shaft section; and b) applying heat and radially inward pressure on an outer surface of the outer layer to heat the inner and outer layers to a first elevated temperature along a second longitudinal portion of the shaft section such that the inner and outer layers fully encapsulate the echogenic member along the second portion, and to a second elevated temperature less than the first elevated temperature along a first longitudinal portion of the shaft section so that an outer surface of the echogenic member is in part separated from adjacent surrounding surfaces of the inner and outer layers by a gap such that the echogenic member is not fully encapsulated along the first portion, and the first portion forms a continuous shaft image and the second portion forms a discontinuous shaft image on a 3D ultrasound image format.