Importance

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Abstract

This invention relates to a catheter tube which is used for visualizing or medically treating the interior of a body cavity having a relatively small diameter, typically a blood vessel by inserting and leaving it in the body cavity. The catheter tube of the invention includes at least one inflatable/contractible balloon disposed adjacent the distal end thereof, and its tube body is formed with a lumen for inflating the balloon, a lumen for injecting a liquid into the body cavity, and a lumen for accommodating a visualizing or therapeutic instrument. The invention is characterized in that the visualizing or therapeutic instrument is moved in a longitudinal direction of the tube to move its distal end into and out of the opening of the instrument accommodating lumen, ensuring a clear observation over a wide field, that the respective lumens can be commonly replaced by a multi-purpose lumen, allowing the tube to be reduced in diameter, that visualization between two balloons provides a clearer visual image, and that a bypass lumen is additionally provided to maintain a blood flow through the blood vessel even during observation, enabling long-term observation.

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First Claim