Patent ID: 7273471

Claim:
A balloon catheter, comprising: a) an elongated shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, and an inflation lumen therein; and b) a balloon on a distal shaft section, having an interior in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, which inflates from a wingless noninflated configuration to an inflated configuration which has a cylindrical surface section, and having a non-melt extruded porous polymer outer layer, and a nonporous polymer inner layer, and one or more filamentary members on or in the porous polymer outer layer, the filamentary members emerging from the porous polymer outer layer and forming ridges protruding outwardly from the balloon along at least the cylindrical surface section in the inflated configuration wherein the filamentary members and the porous polymer outer layer are configured to be removed together from the patient after use.