Patent ID: 8109954

Claim:
A rotational atherectomy device for removing a stenotic lesion from within a vessel of a patient, the device comprising: a rotatable, flexible, hollow fluid impermeable drive shaft having a longitudinal axis of rotation; an eccentric abrasive element having a solid body that defines a fixed size and being rigidly mounted to the drive shaft on a region of the drive shaft proximal to and spaced away from its distal end; and two fluid inflatable counterweights fixed to the drive shaft so as to rotate together with the abrasive element, each of the two fluid inflatable counterweights having a maximum outer diameter that is smaller than a maximum outer diameter of the abrasive element, the inflatable counterweights comprising: a distal fluid inflatable counterweight located at a distal end of the drive shaft and spaced away from the abrasive element by a distal separation distance, and a proximal fluid inflatable counterweight located on the drive shaft proximal to and spaced away from the abrasive element by a proximal separation distance, each of the distal separation distance and the proximal separate distance being greater than a maximum longitudinal dimension of the abrasive element.