Patent ID: 8226637

Claim:
A balloon catheter system comprising: a catheter shaft comprising an outer tube and an inner tube; an elastic balloon provided between a distal end of said outer tube and a vicinity of a distal end of said inner tube; a heating element provided inside said balloon; a temperature sensor which detects a temperature inside said balloon; a solution transport path formed between said outer tube and said inner tube, in communication with an inside of said balloon; a vibration generator which applies vibrational waves to said balloon through said solution transport path; and a vibrational wave baffle which deflects said vibrational waves inside said balloon, wherein said balloon includes a contact portion that is to contact a target site and a noncontact portion that is not to contact said target site, said contact portion having a membrane thickness less than that of said noncontact portion, while said balloon is substantially sphere-shaped or onion-shaped, and said contact portion is provided in the vicinity of the distal portion of said balloon.