Probe Intended to Be Introduced Within a Living Body

The present invention relates to a probe intended to be introduced within a living body, of the type comprising an elorgoled structure adapted to be introduced into a canal in said living body conveying a fluid, and presenting, at its end intended to be introduced into the canal, a single bag element, connected to said structure, surrounding the latter and radially deformable so as to be able to come into contact with the inner wall of said canal.

Such "balloon" probes or so-called "expanding" catheters allow an intervention within a body canel, particularly a blood vessel, to treat disorders observed therein. Such disorders are generally constituted by deposite, atheromas, on the walls of the canal, bringing about stenoses thereof.

More particularly, such probes make it possible, on the one hand thanks to the radially deformable bag element, to improve the section of passage of the canal and, on the other hand, by injection of treatment product, for example through the walls of said bag element, to render long-lasting such re-establishment of the section of passage of the canal, possibly forming "in situ" a prosthesis of corresponding section.

However, during the intervention, it is necessary to maintain a minimum circulation of fluid in the body canal in order not to risk damaging the tissues or organs located downstream of the bag element, if the canal is blocked by the probe. Up to the present time, such fluid circulation is ensured either by perfusion of fluid brought from outside the body via a conduit provided in said elongated structure of the probe, or, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4 581 017, by "internal perfusion", lateral orifices open out in the canal being provided in said structure upstream and downstream of said bag element and being connected to one another by a "by-pass" traversing said strcture.

The first solution is not entirely satisfactory as it requires the supply of a fluid "outside" the body. Furthermore, in the two cases indicated herein-above, at least a part of the section, necessarily small, of the elogeted structure is used for the passage of the fluid, which, of course, renders more difficult, if not impossible, the passage in said structure of means for guiding the probe, or possibly of endo-scopic or surgical instruments, or the positioning of the means ensuring deformation of said bag element.

The present invention has for its object to avoid these drawbacks and relates to a probe, of the type indicated hereinabove, making it possible to maintain a minimum circulation of fluid in the body canal, whilst conserving a maximum section of free passage for said elogeted structure.

To that end, the probe, of the type indicated hereinabove, is noteworthy, according to the invention, in that it comprises at least one conduit, connected to said structure, extending at least substantially parallel to said structure and outside the latter, over a distance corresponding substantially to the longitudinal dimension of said bag element, so as to be able to place in communication those parts of said canal immediately upstream and downstream of said bag element, in order thus to maintain a minimum circulation of fluid in said canal.

In this way, the section of the said elogeted structure, at least at the level of said bag element, may be used to a maximum for the passage, as indiated herein-above, of means for guiding the probe, of endoscopic or surgical instruments, etc.

Each conduit may be made to pass on the periphery of said long structure, or on the periphery of said deformable bag element. However, it is advantageous if each conduit traverses said bag element.

Furthermore, said bag element being inflatable, according to another characteristic of the invention, each conduit is closed in the deflated state of said bag element and is open in the inflated state thereof.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the probe comprises a plurality of said conduits extending at least parallel with respect to one another.

Said conduits are advantageously angularly equi-distributed about the longitudinal axis of said structure.

In particular, the axes of said conduits extend over a cylindrical surface of which the longitidinal axis merges with that of said structure.

The Figures of the accompanying drawings will clearly show how the invention may be carried out. In these Figures identical refereces designate like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of the probe according to the invention, of which the deformable bag element is in the deflated state.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1, the deformable bag element being in the inflated state.

FIG. 3 is a view in transverse section along line III--III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a variant embodiment of the probe according to the invention, in the inflated state.

The probe 1, intended to be introduced in a body canal 2, for example a blood vassel, such as an artery, comprises an elogeted structure 3 of which only the end 4 intended to be introduced in the canal 2 is shown is the drawing, said end 4 presenting a bag element 5, connected to the structure 3, radially deformable, in particular inflatable by presssure means (not shown) connected to the bag element 5 by a tube 6 extending in the structure 3. In the inflated state, the bag element 5 comes into contact with the inner wall of the canal 2, as shown in FIG. 2, possibly re-estalishing the normal section of the canal.

Moreover, the structure 5 presents a slot 7 for the passage, for example, of guide means (not shown).

According to the invention, a pluratlity of conduits 8 (four in the example shown in FIG. 3) pass through the bag element 5, extending at least substantially parallel to the structure 3, in order to place in communication part 2a of the canal 2 immediately upstream of the bag element 5 and part 2b of the canal 2 immediately downstream of said bag element, thus ensuring minimum circulation of fluid (arrows 9) during the intervention (FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 3, the conduits 8 are advantageously angularly equi-distributed about the longitudinal dinal axis 10 of the structure, in order thus to ensure a better distribution of the fluid in the downstream zone 2b of the canal 2. In particular, axes 11 of conduits 8 extend over a cylindrical surface (line 12 in FIG. 3) of which the longitudinal axis merges with the axis 10 of the structure 3.

Furthermore, conduits 8, open in the inflated state of the bag element 5 (FIG. 2), may be closed at least partially in the deflated state thereof (FIG. 1) due to the "collapse" of the ends 5a, 5b of the bag element 5 (FIG. 1).

The central conduit 7 may receive a guide allowing implantation in the injured part, an optical fiber allowing the injured part to be viewed or an optical fiber for a laser shot, the wave emitter being connected to the other end of the probe. The distal end of the probe at the level of the bag element 5 may comprise means, opaque to X-rays, for locating the displacment of the operational end of the probe and its correct positioning. The proximal end of the probe may be connected to a device for recirulation of the biological fluid under pressure, such as blood, intended for irrigating the organs served by the vessel in the course of treatment. In that case, the probe will be provided at its distal end with a pressure reducing valve which will prevent the risks of injury by the pressurized fluid. This pressure reducing valve will take up the principle of a decompression chamber and will generally be constituted by a supple sheath of latex for example, integrated at the end of the probe. It will eliminate the risks of traumatism provoked by the pressure of the recirculating biological fluid leaving the probe and is desirable in this type of probe, when it is installed and positioned in vessels serving organs sensitive to hypoxia (coronary arteries and brain).

Structure 3 may be made of plastics material, such as polyvinyl chloride, a polytetrafluoroethylene, a polyethylene. It may, partly or completely, be constituted by a steel wire helically wound with contiguous turns and be externally or internally coated with polytetrafluoroethylene. Conduits 8 may also be made of plastics material. The bag element 5 will generally be made of supple plastics material, elastically deformable to allow its volume to be increased. It will be pre-shaped to the desired dimension and/or shape.

Structure 3 may be manufactured by the conventional processes of extrusion. The same may apply for the conduits 8 whilst the bag element 5 will generally be obtained by mounlding. The conduits 8 and the bag element 5 may also be manufactured in one piece by moulding or by a process of manufacture of the same nature, this process of manufacture being desirable for reasons of safety. The uptakes of the exposure to rays may also be used to obtain the desired strengths and deformabilities.

The variant 1.1 of the probe according to the present invention, shown in the inflated state within a body canal 2 in FIG. 4, comprises the elements 3 to 8 described hereinabove. In the probe 1.1, the bag element 5 comprises two walls 14 and 15. Inner wall 14 is enveloped by the outer wall 15 and defines with structure 3 an expansible chamber 16 in which tube 6 opens out. The outer wall 15, enveloping the inner wall 14, defines with the latter a chamber 17, possibly connected to the outside by a canal 18. The conduits 8 pass through said chamber 17. The outer wall 15 may comprise a porous central part 15a when the chamber 16 is under pressure. The ends 15b of the wall 15 may be pro-shaped to present, each, a peripheral bead 15c, said peripheral beads 15c surrounding the porous central part 15a.

In this way, the bag element 5 presents a double wall 14, 15 and its outer wall 15 comprises a portion 15a permeable under pressure, capable of allowing passage to the outside (i.e. in the space 19 defined between the canal 2, the beads 15c and the wall portion 15a) of a product capable of allowing a local treatment of said canal, for example a cytotoxic or cytostatic product, or an endoprosthesis. Such a fluid may be contained in the chamber 17 during introduction of the probe in the canal 2, or may be supplied thereto in the course of operation via conduit 18. It will be noted that the end beads 15c ensure a certain tightness with respect to space 19.