Method of repairing a damaged blood vessel with an expandable cage catheter

Claim 1

A method of treating a patient's artery after an intervential procedure therein which has resulted in a damaged section of the artery lining which can restrict flow, comprising: a) advancing a guiding member into a patient's vascular system until a distal portion thereof crosses the damaged arterial section; b) selecting a vascular catheter comprising: i) an elongated catheter body having a relatively long proximal portion with stiffening means, a relatively short distal portion, a first lumen which extends longitudinally therein over essentially the entire length thereof and a second, much shorter, lumen which extends longitudinally within the distal portion of the catheter body from a proximal side opening therein to an opening in the distal end thereof, ii) an expandable cage secured to the distal end of the catheter body which is formed of a plurality of strands, which has a distal end and a proximal end with openings therein and which has sufficient radial strength in the expanded condition to hold open a damaged arterial section iii) a guiding means connected between the openings in the distal and proximal ends to facilitate the passage of a guiding member therethrough, and iv) an elongated control wire disposed within the first lumen with the distal end thereof secured to the distal end of the expandable cage, v) means on the proximal end of the control wire to move the control wire proximally and distally within the first lumen, c) advancing the vascular catheter within the patient's vascular system over the guiding member with the guiding member passing through the second inner lumen, through the interior of the expandable cage and out the distal end of the cage until the expandable cage of the catheter is located at the site of the damaged section of the arterial lining; d) longitudinally moving the control wire within the first lumen in the proximal direction to reduce the axial distance between the ends of the expandable cage and to radially expand the cage with sufficient force to hold open the damaged section of the arterial lining and thereby allow blood to flow through the expanded cage for an extended period; e) longitudinally moving the control wire within the first lumen in the distal direction to increase the axial distance between the ends of the expandable cage and to radially contract the cage sufficiently to remove the expandable cage from the damaged section of the arterial lining; and f) withdrawing the vascular catheter from the patient's artery.

Claim 2

A method of treating a patient's artery after an intervential procedure therein which has resulted in a damaged section of the artery lining which can restrict flow, comprising: a) advancing a guiding member into a patient's vascular system until a distal portion thereof crosses the damaged arterial section; b) selecting a vascular catheter comprising: i) an elongated catheter body having a relatively long proximal portion with stiffening means, a relatively short distal portion, a first lumen which extends longitudinally therein over essentially the entire length thereof and a second, much shorter, lumen which extends longitudinally within the distal portion of the catheter body from a proximal side opening therein to an opening in the distal end thereof, ii) an expandable cage secured to the distal end of the catheter body which is formed of a plurality of strands, which has a distal end and a proximal end with openings therein and which has sufficient radial strength in the expanded condition to hold open a damaged arterial section iii) a guiding means connected between the openings in the distal and proximal ends to facilitate the passage of a guiding member therethrough, and iv) an elongated control wire disposed within the first lumen with the distal end thereof secured to the distal end of the expandable cage, v) means on the proximal end of the control wire to move the control wire proximally and distally within the first lumen, c) advancing the vascular catheter within the patient's vascular system over the guiding member with the guiding member passing through the second inner lumen, through the interior of the expandable cage and out the distal end of the cage until the expandable cage of the catheter is located at the site of the damaged section of the arterial lining; d) longitudinally moving the control wire within the first lumen in the proximal direction to reduce the axial distance between the ends of the expandable cage and to radially expand the cage with sufficient force to hold open the damaged section of the arterial lining and thereby allow blood to flow through the expanded cage for an extended period; e) longitudinally moving the control wire within the first lumen in the distal direction to increase the axial distance between the ends of the expandable cage and to radially contract the cage sufficiently to remove the expandable cage from the damaged section of the arterial lining; and f) withdrawing the vascular catheter from the patient's artery.