Importance

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Abstract

An intravascular catheter provides means for infusing an agent into a treatment site in a body lumen and means for deploying the infusing means adjacent the treatment site which operate independently of one another. In a first embodiment, a flexible catheter body has an expansion member attached to its distal end in communication with an inflation passage, and an infusion array disposed about the expansion member in communication with one or more delivery passages. In a second embodiment, the infusion array is a separate component and slidably received over the expansion member, which may be a balloon dilatation catheter. In both embodiments, the infusion array includes a plurality of delivery conduits having laterally oriented orifices. The delivery conduits may be extended radially from the catheter body to contact a treatment site by expanding the expansion member with an inflation fluid. An agent may be introduced into the delivery passages and infused into the treatment site through orifices in the delivery conduits. The expansion member may be expanded for dilatation of the lumen before, during, or after infusion.

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First Claim