Claims
- 1. A catheter for imaging within a human body, the catheter comprising:
an elongate tubular member adapted to be introduced into the human body, the tubular member including a proximal portion and a distal portion; a braided shield disposed on the exterior of the tubular member, the braided shield formed of a magnetic material; an imaging device disposed within the distal portion of the tubular member, the imaging device adapted to emit energy waves for imaging within the human body; and an elongate flexible cable disposed within the tubular member and electrically coupled to the imaging device.
- 2. The catheter of claim 1 further comprising a cover covering the braided shield.
- 3. The catheter of claim 2 wherein the cover is a heat shrinkable plastic.
- 4. The catheter of claim 2 wherein the braided shield acts as an electric shield.
- 5. The catheter of claim 1 further comprising a lumen defined within the tubular member.
- 6. The catheter of claim 6 wherein the lumen is coupled to an infusion port for introducing a drug into the lumen.
- 7. The catheter of claim 1 further comprising an inflatable balloon disposed on the tubular member.
- 8. The catheter of claim 1 further comprising a cutting device.
- 9. A catheter for imaging within a human body, the catheter comprising:
an elongate tubular member adapted to be introduced into the human body, the tubular member including a proximal portion and a distal portion; an imaging device disposed within the distal portion of the tubular member, the imaging device adapted to emit energy waves for imaging within the human body; and a micromotor disposed within the distal portion of the tubular member, the micromotor being coupled to rotate the imaging device.
- 10. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising a transmitter coupled to the imaging device capable of sending electrical signals to the imaging device to cause the imaging device to emit the energy waves.
- 11. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising a receiver coupled to the imaging device capable of receiving an electrical signal from the imaging device.
- 12. The catheter of claim 11 further comprising a receiver coupled to the imaging device capable of receiving an electrical signal from the imaging device.
- 13. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising an elongate flexible cable disposed within the tubular member and electrically coupled to receive an electrical signal from the imaging device.
- 14. The catheter of claim 11 further comprising an elongate flexible cable disposed within the tubular member and electrically coupled to receive the electrical signal from the receiver.
- 15. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising a lumen defined within the tubular member.
- 16. The catheter of claim 15 wherein the lumen is coupled to an infusion port for introducing a drug into the lumen.
- 17. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising a reflective surface in the tubular member, the reflective surface disposed to direct the energy waves from the imaging device to a portion of the human body.
- 18. The catheter of claim 17 wherein the reflective surface is a mirror.
- 19. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising an inflatable balloon disposed on the tubular member.
- 20. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising a cutting device.
- 21. The catheter of claim 9 further comprising a guidewire adapted to be coupled to the catheter to guide the catheter during introduction of the catheter into the human body.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/177,897, filed on Jun. 20, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/816,586, filed on Mar. 23, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,673), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/300,168, filed on Apr. 27, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,015), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/911,635, filed on Aug. 15, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,245), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/467,178, filed on Jun. 6, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,178), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/162,412, filed on Dec. 3, 1993 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,151), which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/014,906, filed on Feb. 1, 1993 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,949), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/826,260, filed on Jan. 24, 1992 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/649,048, filed on Feb. 1, 1991 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/290,533, filed on Dec. 23, 1988 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,185), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 06/834,893, filed on Feb. 28, 1986 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,931). The entire disclosures of all of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference. The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/290,217, filed on Dec. 23, 1988, commonly assigned herewith, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08014906 |
Feb 1993 |
US |
Child |
08162412 |
Dec 1993 |
US |
Continuations (9)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10177897 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Child |
10438111 |
May 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09816586 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
10177897 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09300168 |
Apr 1999 |
US |
Child |
09816586 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Parent |
08911635 |
Aug 1997 |
US |
Child |
09300168 |
Apr 1999 |
US |
Parent |
08467178 |
Jun 1995 |
US |
Child |
08911635 |
Aug 1997 |
US |
Parent |
08162412 |
Dec 1993 |
US |
Child |
08467178 |
Jun 1995 |
US |
Parent |
07826260 |
Jan 1992 |
US |
Child |
08014906 |
Feb 1993 |
US |
Parent |
07649048 |
Feb 1991 |
US |
Child |
07826260 |
Jan 1992 |
US |
Parent |
07290533 |
Dec 1988 |
US |
Child |
07649048 |
Feb 1991 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
06834893 |
Feb 1986 |
US |
Child |
07290533 |
Dec 1988 |
US |