Guidewire with stopper
A stent assembly including a catheter formed with a side aperture, and a branch guidewire disposed in the catheter and which passes into the side aperture, the branch guidewire including a stopper sized such that the stopper cannot be pulled through the side aperture into the catheter but can be fixedly held in the side aperture and pushed outwards from the side aperture.
1 . A stent assembly comprising:
a catheter formed with a side aperture; and
a branch guidewire disposed in said catheter and which passes into said side aperture, said branch guidewire comprising a stopper sized such that the stopper cannot be pulled through the side aperture into the catheter but can be fixedly held in the side aperture and pushed outwards from the side aperture.
2 . The stent assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said stopper is positioned at a distal portion of the guidewire.
3 . The stent assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said stopper is initially fixedly held in the side aperture of said catheter.
4 . The stent assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said stopper has a spherical shape.
5 . The stent assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a main guidewire over which said catheter is slidable.
6 . The stent assembly according to claim 5 , further comprising a main stent assembled with said catheter.
7 . The stent assembly according to claim 6 , wherein said branch guidewire passes through the side aperture of said catheter and through a side opening of said main stent.
8 . The stent assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a branch stent that slides over said branch guidewire.
9 . The stent assembly according to claim 7 , further comprising a branch stent that slides over said branch guidewire and passes through said side opening of said main stent.
10 . The stent assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising at least two inflatable chambers disposed longitudinally along the catheter, said side aperture being between said inflatable chambers.