atherectomy - device with grasping - and cutting means, for the removal of plaque in the aorta or other arteries

摘要

An arterial catheter system for removing plaque from the aorta and other arteries is disclosed. The system typically includes an elongate catheter member (50), a filtration apparatus (69) disposed within the distal region, and an atherectomy assembly (80). The atherectomy assembly includes a mechanism (82) for trapping and holding mobile or fixed plaque and an excising mechanism (81) for removing the plaque. In use, the catheter is positioned so that the atherectomy assembly lies within a region of interest, the filtration apparatus is deployed downstream of the region of interest, the plaque is trapped and held by a snare (273), vacuum, or some other trapping mechanism, and then the excising mechanism is activated to remove the plaque. Methods are also disclosed for removing plaque from the aorta and other arteries.