WO2007126292A2

WO2007126292A2 - Catheter

Info

Publication number: WO2007126292A2
Application number: PCT/KR2007/002144
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yang-Soo Jang
Original assignee: Humed Co Ltd; Yang-Soo Jang
Priority date: 2006-05-03
Filing date: 2007-05-02
Publication date: 2007-11-08
Also published as: KR20070107435A; WO2007126292A3; KR100818167B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a catheter. The catheter includes a catheter body that has the shape of a cylindrical rod, guides that are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the catheter body at one end of the catheter body and each have a through hole through which a lead wire passes, and a forming tool that is integrally formed at one end of the catheter body so as to extend outward and has a V-shaped groove. According to the present invention, it is possible to minimize an interfering portion between a main stent and a side stent, which are inserted into a main branch and a side branch, to facilitate a smooth flow of a bloodstream, and to increase an area of a stenting area of a branched portion between the main branch and the side branch.

Description

Description CATHETER

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to catheters, and more particularly, to a catheter that can be used to provide a stent to a stenosis portion at a location where a heart blood vessel is branched, without interfering between a main stent and a side stent. Background Art

[2] In general, a stent is a medical device that is inserted into a lumen or a blood vessel in order to expand the lumen or the blood vessel when lumens of a human body become narrow and are thus depressed, or when blood vessels become narrow and the bloodstream flows abnormally due to various diseases occurring in a human body.

[3] A stent according to the related art is an elastic member made of a metal. When the esophagus is stenosed due to esophageal cancer, when poor circulation of blood in the blood vessel is caused by arteriosclerosis, or when a track through which bile from a liver flows is stenosed, the elastic member is inserted into the stenosis portion while being compressed. Then, the elastic member expands the blood vessel or lumen by using the expansion of the elastic member so that blood or bile smoothly flows in the blood vessel or track. The above-mentioned method has been generally used.

[4] Depending on an operation method of the stents, the stents are inserted into blood vessels, such as heart blood vessels, aortas, or blood vessels in the head, and tubular organs, such as esophagus, stomach and intestines, together with balloon catheters. The stents are classified into a stent used in balloon dilatation for expanding a tubular passage by using the expansion of a balloon, and a stent used in self-expanding method where a stent is inserted into a tubular tissue by an endoscope and is expanded due to an elastic force of self-restitution.

[5] Since the stent used in the balloon dilatation expands outwardly due to the expansion of a balloon in order to expand the passage of the tubular tissue to its original size, elasticity and ductility are required in the balloon dilatation. Since the stent used in the self-expanding method is inserted into a stenosis portion and then expanded outward due to an elastic force of self-restitution, the elasticity of restitution is emphasized in the self-expanding method.

[6] When a blood vessel having a relatively small inner diameter is stenosed, the balloon dilatation is generally used. According to the balloon dilatation, a balloon catheter inserted into the stent is inserted into a blood vessel. Therefore, while the balloon of the catheter is expanded, the stent is expanded outward to expand the passage in a blood vessel. [7] In this case, there are various methods (T-stenting, V-stenting, and crush techniques) of inserting a stent at a branched portion of heart blood vessels where a side blood vessel is branched from a main blood vessel. According to the T-stenting technique among the various methods, as shown in FIG. 1, a main stent 210 and a side stent 220 are inserted into a main branch 10 corresponding to the branched main blood vessel of the heart blood vessels, and a side branch 20 corresponding to the side blood vessel, respectively.

[8] According to the T-stenting technique, stents are inserted into the main and side branches by using a catheter and a lead wire guided by the catheter, and the balloon catheter inserted into the side branch is expanded to perform the stenting of the side stent. Then, the main stent inserted into the main branch is expanded. After that, a kissing balloon is performed.

[9] However, the T-stenting technique in the related art has the following problem.

That is, since a gap is formed between the main and side stents at an inlet of the side branch corresponding to a portion indicated by "A", there is a concern that the portion indicated by "A" is stenosed.

[10] In contrast, according to a crush technique, as shown in FIG. 2, when a main stent

210 and a side stent 220 are inserted into a main branch 10 and a side branch 20, respectively, the end of the side stent 220 inserted into the side branch 20 interferes with the end of the main stent 210 inserted into the main branch 10. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[11] However, according to the crush technique, it is possible to cover the inlet of the side branch. The crush technique has an advantage capable of solving the problem of the T-stenting technique. Meanwhile, the crush technique has the following problems. That is, since the stents interfere with each other at a portion indicated by "B" in FIG. 2, there has been concerns that the stents are transformed and damaged and the passage of the side branch may be blocked due to the transformation of portion where the stents overlap. Various techniques, which are modified from the T-stenting technique, other than the crush technique have been researched, but there has been no technique capable of solving the above-mentioned problems.

[12] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a catheter capable of performing stenting of a stenosis portion and minimizing an interfering portion between stents, which are inserted into a main branch and a side branch, during a stenting operation of a branched portion of a blood vessel in a human body. Technical Solution [13] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to an aspect of the present invention, a catheter includes a catheter body that has a shape of a cylindrical rod, guides that are provided at both sides of an outer peripheral surface of the catheter body at one end of the catheter body and each have a through hole through for guiding a lead wire, and a forming tool that is integrally formed at one end of the catheter body so as to extend and has a V-shaped groove.

[14] Further, according to the aspect of the present invention, a core material having a shape of a cylindrical rod may be provided inside the catheter body, and the forming tool may be made of a rubber material having cushioning characteristics. Furthermore, the forming tool may be integrally formed with the guides.

Advantageous Effects

[15] According to the present invention, it is possible to minimize an interfering portion between a main stent and a side stent, which are inserted into a main branch and a side branch, to facilitate a smooth flow of a bloodstream, and to increase the size of a stenting area of a branched portion between the main branch and the side branch.

Brief Description of the Drawings [16] The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: [17] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a T-stenting technique for providing a stent to a branched portion of a blood vessel in the related art; [18] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a crush stenting technique for providing a stent to a branched portion of a blood vessel in the related art; [19] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a catheter according to an embodiment of the present invention; [20] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the essential parts of the catheter according to the embodiment of the present invention; [21] FIG. 5 is a view of a catheter according to another embodiment of the present invention; [22] FIG. 6 is a view showing that the catheter according to the embodiment of the present invention and stents are used in blood vessels; and [23] FIGS. 7 to 9 are views sequentially showing a procedure where the catheter according to the embodiment of the present invention is used.

Mode for the Invention [24] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to accompanying drawings. [25] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 9, a catheter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a catheter body 110 that has the shape of a cylindrical rod and can be bent in a blood vessel, guides 120 that are provided at both sides of the outer peripheral surface of the catheter body 110 at one end of the catheter body and are formed to protrude outwadly and each have a through hole through which a lead wire 150 passes, and a forming tool 130 that is integrally coupled at one end of the catheter body 110 so as to extend outward and has a V-shaped groove 132.

[26] In more detail, each of the guides 120 functions as a passage for allowing the lead wire 150 to pass by the catheter body 110 and a contact portion where the lead wire comes in contact with the catheter body. Further, the guides are provided on both sides of one end of the catheter body 110 so that the catheter body 110 is guided into a blood vessel by the lead wires 150.

[27] When the end of the forming tool 130 having the groove 132 comes in contact with a stent inserted into a branched blood vessel, a cushioning force is required to change the shape of the stent. For this reason, it is preferable that the forming tool 130 be made of a rubber material.

[28] Further, the forming tool 130 is integrally attached to one end of the catheter body

110 so as to extend outward, or is fixed to one end of the catheter body by a separate fastener. However, it is preferable that a method of fixing the forming tool do not appear externally in consideration of the harm to a human body.

[29] In addition, a hub 140, which functions as a handle for a user and improves the rigidity of the catheter, is formed at the other end of the catheter body 110.

[30] More preferably, a core material 115 may be provided inside the catheter body 110 in order to improve the rigidity of the catheter and adjust the hardness of the catheter. It is preferable that the core material 115 not be a soft material but a stiff material (for example, metal). Further, the catheter body 110 may be made of a flexible material (for example, a synthetic resin or metal).

[31] FIG. 5 is a view of a catheter according to another embodiment of the present invention. According to the catheter according to another embodiment, a guide 120 and a forming tool 130 are integrally formed at one end of a catheter body 110, unlike the catheter according to the previous embodiment.

[32] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an angle of a groove

132 is an acute angle. Therefore, the catheter according to another embodiment may be preferably used for a branched portion having a small angle, and may be modified in various ways depending on an angle between a main branch 10 and a side branch 20.

[33] The operation of the above-mentioned catheter according to the present invention will be described below.

[34] When a main stent 210 and a side stent 220 are inserted into the main and side branches 10 and 20 at a branched portion where they are branched out from each other, respectively, in order to perform stenting, one end of the side stent 220 is inserted into the side branch 20 so as to partially protrude into the main branch 10. Then, one end of the side stent 220 protruding into the main branch 10 are pressed by using the forming tool 130 of the catheter 100 so that the shape of one end of the side stent 220 is changed in a press forming method.

[35] In this case, the stenting procedure is as follows: The compressed main stent 210 inserted into the main branch 10 is expanded by the expansion of a balloon in order to perform the stenting of the main branch 10. Then, after the compressed side stent 220, which was previously inserted into the side branch 20 and compressed, is expanded by the catheter 100 by the expansion of a balloon of the catheter 100, a kissing balloon is then performed. However, the stenting procedure may be freely changed or modified for convenience of an operation.

[36] The end of the side stent 220 is pressed by a portion corresponding to the groove

132 that is formed at the end of the forming tool 130, so that the end of the side stent 220 is compressed into the side stent and transformed. In this case, one end of the catheter body 110 can be controlled at any angle by using the lead wires 150 provided on both sides of the catheter body 110.

[37] That is, if the branched portion between the main branch 10 and the side branch 20 is turned to the right side, a user can control the catheter while gripping the catheter hub 140 so that one end of the catheter body 110 is bent to the right side by the lead wire 150 provided on one side of the catheter body.

[38] In contrast, if the branched portion between the main branch 10 and the side branch

20 is turned to the left side, a user can allow one end of the catheter body 110 to be bent to the left side by the lead wire 150 provided on the other side of the catheter body. Accordingly, it is possible to correctly press and form the end of the side stent 220, which is to be transformed by the groove 132 of the forming tool 130.

[39] Meanwhile, catheters having different angles of the groove 132 of the forming tool

130 are provided, and it is possible to select a catheter having a proper angle of the groove 132 depending on an angle between the main and side branches 10 and 20, that is, depending on whether an angle between the main and side branches may be an acute or obtuse angle in order to perform a proper operation.

Claims

[1] A catheter that is inserted into a blood vessel and aids stenting of a stent, the catheter comprising: a catheter body that has a shape of a cylindrical rod; guides that are provided at both sides of an outer peripheral surface of the catheter body at one end of the catheter body and each have a through hole for guiding a lead wire; and a forming tool that is integrally formed at one end of the catheter body so as to extend and has a V-shaped groove. [2] The catheter as set forth in claim 1, wherein a core material having a shape of a cylindrical rod is provided inside the catheter body. [3] The catheter as set forth in claim 1, wherein the forming tool is made of a rubber material having cushioning characteristics. [4] The catheter as set forth in claim 1, wherein the forming tool is integrally formed with the guides. [5] The catheter as set forth in claim 2, wherein the forming tool is integrally formed with the guides. [6] The catheter as set forth in claim 3, wherein the forming tool is integrally formed with the guides.