Importance

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Abstract

Methods for placing a medical agent at a location within a patient's vessel. In an illustrative embodiment, an embolic coil is placed at a location with an aneurysm. The methods include the steps of providing a catheter having a proximal end and a distal end, a balloon adjacent to the distal end, an inflation port at the proximal end communicating via an inflation lumen with the balloon, a delivery port at the proximal end communicating with a delivery lumen, a guidewire opening at the distal end communicating with the delivery lumen, and a side opening near the distal end and spaced from the guidewire opening and also communicating with the delivery lumen. The catheter is pre-loaded with a guidewire extending from the delivery port through the delivery lumen and distal of the guidewire opening. Thereafter, the catheter is introduced into the vessel of a patient to generally align the side opening with the aneurysm. The balloon is inflated to stabilize the position of a distal portion of the catheter. Thereafter, the guidewire is withdrawn and an embolic coil employment device is introduced into the delivery lumen and through the side opening to deliver an embolic coil into the aneurysm. Once the desired number of embolic coils are delivered into the aneurysm, the balloon is deflated and the catheter is withdrawn from the patient's vessel.

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First Claim