JP2013162807A - Catheter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a catheter having cylindrical bodies which are hardly expandable and are easily bent.SOLUTION: A sheath 24 configuring a catheter 10 includes: a first cylindrical body 34 forming the inner peripheral surface of the sheath 24; a second cylindrical body 38 positioned outside the first cylindrical body 34 and forming the outer peripheral surface of the sheath 24; and a complex structure 40 embedded in the wall of the second cylindrical body 38. The complex structure 40 includes: a core material 42 extending along the second cylindrical body 38 and made of a material that is more flexible than the material of the second cylindrical body 38; and a mesh section 44 equipped on the outer peripheral surface of the core material 42 and made of a material that is harder than the material of the second cylindrical body 38.

Description

  The present invention relates to a catheter provided with a flexible tubular body.

  Conventionally, surgical treatment using an artificial blood vessel has been performed for the treatment of an aortic aneurysm or aortic dissection, but recently minimally invasive treatment using a stent graft (stented artificial blood vessel) has spread (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  A treatment method using a stent graft is called stent graft insertion, and a blood vessel is formed by inserting and placing the stent graft into an aortic aneurysm via a catheter. An apparatus for performing such a series of operations is called a stent graft system, and includes a stent graft and a catheter (delivery device).

  The catheter has a long shaft having flexibility, a handle portion connected to a proximal end portion of the shaft, and is positioned outside the shaft and extends along the extending direction of the shaft. And a flexible sheath (tubular body) provided in the handle portion in a state in which relative displacement is possible.

  In the initial state, the stent graft is housed in the distal end portion of the sheath (between the sheath and the shaft) in a state where the stent graft is folded (contracted) in an expandable manner. In this case, since the stent graft is stored in the sheath while being pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the sheath, a considerable frictional force acts between the stent graft and the inner peripheral surface of the sheath.

  In such a stent graft system, when the proximal end side of the sheath is pulled toward the proximal end side of the catheter in order to release the stent graft into the blood vessel, a considerable frictional force acts between the stent graft and the sheath. The sheath extends along the extending direction. When the sheath is stretched, the relative displacement amount of the distal end of the sheath with respect to the shaft becomes smaller than the relative displacement amount (withdrawal amount) of the proximal end of the sheath with respect to the shaft. May remember.

  By the way, in the conventional catheter, the technical idea which embed | buried the some metal wire extended along the extension direction of this cylinder in the wall part of a cylinder is known (for example, refer patent document 2).

US Pat. No. 6,740,111 JP-A-6-154334

  If a conventional technique such as Patent Document 2 described above is used, a metal wire made of a material harder than the material constituting the sheath is embedded in the wall portion of the sheath, and extension along the extending direction of the sheath is suppressed. be able to.

  However, in this case, since the apparent rigidity of the sheath is increased by embedding the metal wire in the wall portion of the sheath, there is a problem that the sheath is difficult to bend. If it does so, it will become easy to make a catheter provided with this sheath follow a curved blood vessel.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a catheter having a cylindrical body that is difficult to extend and bends easily.

[1] A catheter according to the present invention is provided on a flexible cylinder, a wire embedded in the wall of the cylinder along the extending direction of the cylinder, and an outer peripheral surface of the wire. A mesh portion, wherein the wire is formed of a material that is more flexible than a material that constitutes the cylinder, and the mesh portion is formed of a material that is harder than the material that constitutes the cylinder. It is characterized by.

  According to the catheter configured as described above, the wire material is embedded in the wall portion of the cylindrical body and the mesh portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the wire material, and the wire material is made of a material that is more flexible than the material constituting the cylindrical body. Since the mesh portion is formed of a material that is harder than the material constituting the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body is difficult to extend and bend easily along its extending direction (the extending direction of the catheter). Can do.

  Thereby, for example, when the cylindrical body is used as the sheath constituting the catheter of the stent graft system, the sheath can be hardly extended along the extending direction and can be easily bent. Then, the operator can easily follow the sheath along the curved blood vessel, and furthermore, the sheath can be pulled easily when the stent graft is expanded.

[2] In the above catheter, the mesh portion may be formed by weaving a plurality of mesh wires, and at least one of the intersections of the plurality of mesh wires may be bonded or fused.

  According to such a configuration, since at least one of the intersections of the plurality of mesh wires constituting the mesh portion is bonded or fused, the elongation of the mesh portion along the extending direction of the wire is efficiently performed. Can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to make the cylinder more difficult to extend.

[3] In the above catheter, the mesh portion may be fixed to the wire. According to such a configuration, since the mesh portion is fixed to the wire, the positional deviation between the mesh portion and the wire can be suitably suppressed.

[4] In the above catheter, the wire and the mesh portion may extend over substantially the entire length of the cylindrical body. According to such a configuration, since the wire rod and the mesh portion extend over substantially the entire length of the cylindrical body, it is difficult to suitably extend the cylindrical body and can be easily bent at an arbitrary portion. .

[5] In the above catheter, the thickness of the wire may differ depending on the position in the extending direction of the wire. According to such a configuration, since the thickness of the wire varies depending on the position in the extending direction, the bending characteristics of the cylindrical body can be easily changed depending on the position in the extending direction of the cylinder.

[6] In the above catheter, the wire may have different flexibility depending on the position in the extending direction of the wire. According to such a configuration, since the wire has different flexibility depending on the position in the extending direction, the bending characteristics of the cylinder can be easily changed depending on the position in the extending direction of the cylinder.

[7] In the catheter, the wire may include a contrast agent. According to such a configuration, since the wire contains the contrast agent, it is possible to easily know the direction in which the catheter (cylinder) is easily bent by the X-ray image (moving image) during the treatment using the catheter. it can.

[8] In the above catheter, the catheter is made of a material that extends in the extending direction of the cylindrical body and is harder than a material constituting the cylindrical body in a state of being embedded in the wall portion of the cylindrical body. The composite structure further including a mesh-shaped reinforcing portion and including the wire and the mesh portion passes through the gap of the mesh so as to sew the mesh of the reinforcing portion along the extending direction of the cylindrical body. May extend.

  According to such a configuration, since the reinforcing portion is provided, it is possible to give the cylinder an appropriate rigidity and to make the cylinder more difficult to extend along the extending direction. Further, even when the reinforcing portion is provided as described above, the composite structure extends through the gap of the mesh so as to sew the mesh of the reinforcing portion along the extending direction of the cylindrical body. Since it exists, it can suppress that a cylinder becomes thick. That is, as compared with the case where the composite structure is disposed away from the reinforcing portion along the thickness direction of the cylinder, the cylinder can be thinned and the outer diameter can be reduced.

[9] In the above catheter, a plurality of composite structures including the wire and the mesh portion are provided, and the plurality of composite structures are spaced apart at substantially equal intervals along a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body. You may be embed | buried in the wall part of a cylinder.

  According to such a configuration, the plurality of composite structures are embedded in the wall portion of the cylindrical body in a state of being spaced apart at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body. The bending characteristic can be made substantially uniform.

[10] In the above catheter, the mesh portion may be configured such that a mesh interval is different depending on a position in the extending direction of the wire. According to such a configuration, since the mesh portion is configured such that the mesh interval varies depending on the position in the extending direction of the wire, the bending characteristic of the cylindrical body is easily changed depending on the position in the extending direction of the cylindrical body. be able to.

[11] In the above catheter, the first composite structure including the mesh portion having a first mesh interval and the wire, and the mesh portion having a second mesh interval narrower than the first mesh interval. And a second composite structure including the wire.

  According to such a configuration, the second mesh interval of the mesh portion constituting the second composite structure is made narrower than the first mesh interval of the mesh portion constituting the first composite structure. The cylindrical body can be easily bent on the side where the composite structure is located.

[12] The catheter may further include a flexible shaft, and the cylindrical body is provided outside the shaft and contracts an expansion structure that can be expanded radially outward of the cylindrical body. You may comprise the sheath accommodated in a state.

  According to such a configuration, since the cylindrical body is a sheath that houses an expanded structure that can be expanded toward the radially outer side of the cylindrical body in a contracted state, the surgeon can make the sheath into a curved shape of the blood vessel. In addition, the sheath can be easily followed, and the sheath pulling operation when expanding the expansion structure can be performed without a sense of incongruity.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a wire made of a material that is more flexible than the material constituting the cylinder is embedded in the wall of the cylinder along the extending direction of the cylinder, Since the mesh part made of a material harder than the material constituting the cylindrical body is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the wire rod, a catheter having a cylindrical body that is difficult to extend and bends can be obtained.

FIG. 1A is a partial sectional plan view showing an initial state (a state before the stent graft is expanded) in a stent graft system including a catheter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an expanded view of the stent graft in the stent graft system. FIG. It is a partial cross section top view for demonstrating the structure of the sheath part of the catheter shown to FIG. 1A. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially omitted enlarged plan view of the composite structure shown in FIG. 3. It is a partial cross section top view of the catheter which concerns on a 1st modification. FIG. 6 is a partially omitted enlarged plan view of the composite structure shown in FIG. 5. It is a partial cross section top view of the catheter which concerns on a 2nd modification. It is sectional drawing along the VIII-VIII line of FIG. It is a partially omitted enlarged plan view of the second composite structure shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a catheter according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings by illustrating preferred embodiments in relation to a stent graft system including the catheter.

  First, a stent graft system 12 (hereinafter referred to as “stent system 12”) including a catheter 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 4. In the following description, the right side (handle portion 20 side) of the stent system 12 in FIG. 1A is referred to as the “proximal end (rear end)” side, and the left side of the stent system 12 (stent graft 14 side) is referred to as the “front end” side. explain.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the stent system 12 deploys and deploys a stent graft (expansion structure) 14 and the stent graft 14 through a blood vessel to a lesion (treatment site) such as an aortic aneurysm. A catheter 10 for guiding the catheter 10 and a guide wire 16 for guiding the catheter 10.

  The stent graft 14 has substantially the same configuration as a general stent graft. For example, the graft is formed by forming a woven fabric (fabric) woven with resin threads such as polyester or an ePTFE (stretched polytetrafluoroethylene) film into a tube shape. A swelling gel or the like may be applied to the outer surface of the graft, that is, the portion in contact with the blood vessel wall in order to prevent blood leakage.

  The stent has self-expanding performance by forming a wire made of a superelastic alloy or the like into a Z shape or a ring shape, or by forming a pipe made of a superelastic alloy by laser cutting. Examples of superelastic alloys that form stents include Ti—Ni alloys, Ti—Ni—Fe alloys, Cu—Zn alloys, Cu—Zn—Al alloys, Cu—Al—Ni alloys, and Cu—Au. -Zn alloy, Cu-Sn alloy, Ni-Al alloy, Ag-Cd alloy, Au-Cd alloy, In-Ti alloy, In-Cd alloy, and the like can be given.

  The catheter 10 includes a long shaft 18 on which the stent graft 14 is mounted on the distal end side, a cylindrical handle portion 20 fixed to the proximal end side of the shaft 18, and the shaft 18 along the extending direction of the shaft 18. On the other hand, it has a sheath operating part 22 coupled (interpolated) to the handle part 20 in a state of being relatively displaceable, and a sheath 24 connected to the distal end of the sheath operating part 22.

  The shaft 18 is a flexible tubular member having flexibility. A guide wire lumen 26 through which the guide wire 16 is inserted is formed through the shaft 18 through the entire length.

  A guide wire port 28 through which the guide wire 16 is led out is provided at the proximal end portion of the shaft 18 so as to protrude from the proximal end of the handle portion 20. A reduced-diameter mount portion 30 for mounting (mounting) the stent graft 14 is formed at the distal end portion of the shaft 18, and a nose cone having a reduced diameter toward the distal end side is located closer to the distal end side than the mount portion 30. 32 is provided.

  Such a shaft 18 preferably has moderate flexibility and moderate strength (stiffness, rigidity) in order to insert the tip of the shaft 18 into a curved blood vessel. Therefore, the shaft 18 is made of, for example, a polymer material such as polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, polyamide elastomer, polyurethane, polyurethane elastomer, polyimide, fluororesin, or a mixture thereof, or a multilayer tube of the above two or more polymer materials. It is good to form by etc.

  The handle portion 20 is formed in a size that is easy for an operator to grasp. The sheath operating portion 22 is a cylindrical member having a size that allows the operator to easily perform a slide operation with fingers, and has a larger outer diameter than the sheath 24 (thickness).

  The sheath 24 is a flexible tubular member that is disposed on the outer surface side of the shaft 18. In the initial state, the sheath 24 is in a position that completely covers the mount portion 30 with respect to the shaft 18, and the stent graft 14 is accommodated in the mount portion 30 (see FIG. 1A). In this state, the stent graft 14 is prevented from expanding by the sheath 24 on the outside thereof. That is, a considerable frictional force acts between the stent graft 14 and the sheath 24. In the initial state, the sheath 24 is in contact (proximity) with the proximal end surface of the nose cone 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sheath 24 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body (inner cylindrical body) 34 and the first cylindrical body 34 constituting the inner peripheral surface of the sheath 24. Embedded in the wall portion of the second cylindrical body 38, the reinforcing portion 36 formed in the first cylindrical body 34, the second cylindrical body (outer cylindrical body) 38 that is disposed outside the first cylindrical body 34 and constitutes the outer peripheral surface of the sheath 24. And a plurality of (for example, 8) composite structures (strands) 40.

  That is, the sheath 24 has a two-layer structure of the first cylindrical body 34 and the second cylindrical body 38 over substantially the entire length thereof. The sheath 24 may have a multilayer structure (three or more layers) of a plurality of cylinders. Each of the 1st cylinder 34 and the 2nd cylinder 38 is comprised with the soft material which has flexibility, for example, can be comprised with the material similar to the shaft 18 mentioned above.

  The reinforcing portion 36 is formed into a cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape) by weaving a plurality of (for example, 16) reinforcing wires 37. Specifically, the reinforcing portion 36 can be formed of a plurality of reinforcing wires 37 by plain weave or twill weave.

  Each reinforcement strand 37 is formed in the cross-sectional rectangular shape, for example. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of each reinforcing wire 37 may be arbitrarily formed, and for example, it may be formed in a circular cross-section or a circular cross-section. Each reinforcing element 37 is formed of a material harder than the material constituting the second cylinder 38. Each reinforcement strand 37 can be comprised with metals, such as stainless steel, or resin, for example. The reinforcing portion 36 is embedded in the wall portion of the second cylindrical body 38 in a state of being wound around the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body 34 (a state of being wound by a blade) (see FIG. 3).

  The plurality of composite structures 40 are disposed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 38. Each composite structure 40 includes a reinforcing member 37 on the first tube 34 side (between the reinforcing wire 37 and the first tube 34) and a reinforcement along the extending direction of the first tube 34. The wires 37 extend so as to alternately pass through the outer surface side of the second cylinder 38 (outside in the radial direction of the first cylinder 34) from the strand 37. That is, each composite structure 40 extends along the extending direction of the first cylinder 34 through the mesh gap of the reinforcing portion 36 so as to sew the mesh. Each composite structure 40 includes a core material (wire material) 42 extending over substantially the entire length of the second cylinder 38, and a mesh portion 44 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the core material 42.

  The core material 42 is formed, for example, in a circular cross section. The cross-sectional shape of the core material 42 may be arbitrarily formed. For example, it may be formed in a rectangular cross section or a circular cross section. The core material 42 is made of, for example, resin or the like, and is made of a material that is more flexible than the material that forms the second cylinder 38.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the mesh portion 44 is disposed over substantially the entire length of the core material 42, and is formed by weaving a plurality of (for example, four) mesh wires 45. Specifically, the mesh portion 44 can form a plurality of mesh wires 45 by plain weave or twill weave. Each mesh wire 45 is formed of a material harder than the material constituting the second cylinder 38. Each mesh wire 45 can be made of a resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PBT) or a metal material.

  At least one of the intersections 46 of the plurality of mesh wires 45 is bonded or fused. Thereby, since each mesh strand 45 will be joined firmly, it can suppress efficiently that the mesh part 44 expand | extends along the extension direction of the core material 42. FIG. In other words, it is possible to suitably suppress an increase in the mesh interval (distance between adjacent intersections 46 along the extending direction of the core material 42) P1 of the mesh portion 44.

  For example, in the state in which the mesh portion 44 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the core material 42, the composite structure 40 is heated (softened (melted)) and floated by heating the core material 42. The core material 42 can be formed by being inserted. By doing in this way, the position shift of the mesh part 44 and the core material 42 can be suppressed suitably. The composite structure 40 may be formed by bonding (fixing) the mesh portion 44 to the outer peripheral surface of the core material 42 using an adhesive or the like.

  According to the catheter 10 according to the present embodiment, the core member 42 is embedded in the wall portion of the second cylinder 38 and the mesh portion 44 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the core member 42 to constitute the second cylinder 38. The core material 42 is formed of a material softer than the material, and the mesh portion 44 is formed of a material harder than the material constituting the second cylinder 38. Therefore, the second cylinder 38 is extended. It is difficult to extend along the direction (extending direction of the catheter 10) and bend easily.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the sheath 24 can be made difficult to extend and bend easily along its extending direction. Then, the operator can easily follow the sheath 24 along the curved blood vessel. Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the operator grasps and pulls the sheath operating portion 22, the relative displacement L1 with respect to the shaft 18 at the proximal end of the sheath operating portion 22 and the relative displacement with respect to the shaft 18 at the distal end of the sheath 24. Since the displacement amount L2 can be made substantially the same distance, the pulling operation of the sheath operating portion 22 when the stent graft 14 is expanded can be performed without a sense of incongruity.

  Further, in this embodiment, since at least one of the intersections 46 of the plurality of mesh wires 45 constituting the mesh portion 44 is bonded or fused, the mesh portion 44 along the extending direction of the core material 42 is used. Elongation can be suppressed. As a result, the sheath 24 can be made more difficult to extend.

  Furthermore, since each composite structure 40 extends over substantially the entire length of the second cylinder 38 (sheath 24), the sheath 24 is not easily stretched and is easily bent at an arbitrary portion. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, since the plurality of composite structures 40 are embedded in the wall portion of the second cylindrical body 38 in a state of being spaced apart at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the sheath 24, the bending in the circumferential direction of the sheath 24 is performed. The characteristics can be made substantially uniform.

  According to the present embodiment, since the reinforcing portion 36 is disposed in the wall portion of the second cylindrical body 38, the sheath 24 can be given an appropriate rigidity and the sheath 24 can be arranged in the extending direction. It can be made more difficult to extend. Further, even when the reinforcing portion 36 is disposed in the wall portion of the second cylindrical body 38 in this way, each composite structure 40 is reinforced along the extending direction of the first cylindrical body 34. Since the mesh 24 extends through the gap of the mesh, it is possible to suppress the sheath 24 from becoming thick. That is, compared with the case where each composite structure 40 is provided apart from the reinforcing portion 36 along the radial direction (thickness direction) of the second cylindrical body 38, the sheath 24 is thinned and the outer diameter dimension thereof is reduced. It can be made smaller.

(First modification)
Next, a catheter 10a according to a first modification will be described with reference to FIGS. In this modification, elements having the same or similar functions and effects as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted, and the same applies to a second modification described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a catheter 10a according to this modification is different from the catheter 10 described above in the configuration of the composite structure 40a. Each composite structure 40 a includes a core material 42 and a mesh portion 44 a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the core material 42.

  In the mesh portion 44a, the mesh interval P2 on the distal end side is set to be narrower than the mesh interval P1 on the proximal end side (for example, an interval half the mesh interval P1). That is, the mesh portion 44 a is configured such that the mesh interval varies depending on the position in the extending direction of the core material 42.

  According to this modification, the mesh interval P2 on the distal end side of the mesh portion 44a is narrower than the mesh interval P1 on the proximal end side, so that the distal end side of the sheath 24 can be bent more easily than the proximal end side. . That is, since the mesh portion 44a is configured such that the mesh interval is different depending on the position in the extending direction of the core material 42, the bending characteristics of the sheath 24a can be easily changed depending on the position in the extending direction of the sheath 24a. .

(Second modification)
Next, a catheter 10b according to a second modification will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, a catheter 10b according to this modification includes a plurality (for example, four) of composite structures (first composite structures) 40 and a plurality of (for example, four) composite structures. The point which has the body (2nd composite structure) 40b differs from the catheter 10 mentioned above.

  As can be seen from FIG. 8, in this modification, the four composite structures 40 are arranged so that the phase is shifted by 45 ° along the circumferential direction of the sheath 24b, and the four composite structures 40b are The phase is shifted by 45 ° along the circumferential direction of the sheath 24b. That is, the eight composite structures 40 and 40b are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the sheath 24b.

  Similar to the composite structure 40, each composite structure 40b extends along the extending direction of the first cylindrical body 34 so as to sew the mesh of the reinforcing portion 36 and through the gap of the mesh. . Each composite structure 40b includes a core material 42a and a mesh portion 44b. The core material 42 a extends over substantially the entire length of the second cylinder 38, and includes a contrast portion 52 made of a resin containing a contrast agent, and an annular shape provided on the outer periphery of the contrast portion 52. And an outer peripheral portion 54.

  Each of the contrast portion 52 and the outer peripheral portion 54 is made of a material that is more flexible than the material forming the second cylinder 38. The mesh portion 44b has a mesh interval set to P2 over its entire length. That is, the mesh interval P2 of the mesh part 44b is narrower than the mesh interval P1 of the mesh part 44 constituting each composite structure 40 (see FIGS. 4 and 9).

  According to the catheter 10b according to this modification, the mesh interval P2 of the mesh portions 44b constituting each composite structure 40b is narrower than the mesh interval P1 of the mesh portions 44 constituting each composite structure 40. The sheath 24b can be easily bent to the side where the composite structure 40b is located (the lower side in FIG. 8). That is, the degree of bending can be changed according to the direction in which the sheath 24b is bent.

  In addition, since each composite structure 40b has the contrast portion 52, when the sheath 24b is inserted into a curved blood vessel, for example, the position of the composite structure 40b can be easily set in an X-ray image (moving image). Can know. In other words, it is possible to easily know the direction in which the sheath 24b is easily bent. Thereby, the surgeon can follow the sheath 24b more easily in the curved blood vessel.

  The catheters 10, 10a, and 10b described above are not limited to the above configuration. For example, the outer diameter (thickness) of the core members 42 and 42a constituting the composite structures 40 and 40a may be different depending on the position in the extending direction. In this way, the bending characteristics of the sheaths 24, 24a, 24b can be easily changed depending on the positions in the extending direction of the sheaths 24, 24a, 24b.

  The core materials 42 and 42a may have different flexibility depending on the position in the extending direction. Also in this case, the bending characteristics of the sheaths 24, 24a, 24b can be easily changed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is naturally possible to adopt various configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the catheter according to the present invention, the composite structure may be provided in any number (for example, only one) at any position in the wall of the second cylinder. Moreover, the expansion structure provided in the catheter may be configured as a stent.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10a, 10b ... Catheter 12 ... Stent graft system 14 ... Stent graft (expansion structure) 18 ... Shaft 20 ... Handle part 22 ... Sheath operation part 24, 24a, 24b ... Sheath 34 ... 1st cylinder 36 ... Reinforcement part 38 ... Second cylindrical body 40, 40a, 40b ... Composite structure 42, 42a ... Core material 44, 44a, 44b ... Mesh part 45 ... Mesh wire 46 ... Intersection 52 ... Contrast part

Claims (12)

A flexible cylinder;
A wire embedded in the wall of the cylindrical body along the extending direction of the cylindrical body,
A mesh portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the wire,
With
The wire is formed of a material that is more flexible than the material constituting the cylinder,
The catheter is characterized in that the mesh portion is formed of a material harder than a material constituting the cylindrical body. The catheter of claim 1,
The mesh portion is formed by weaving a plurality of mesh wires,
A catheter, wherein at least one of the intersections of the plurality of mesh wires is bonded or fused. The catheter according to claim 1 or 2,
The catheter, wherein the mesh portion is fixed to the wire. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The catheter, wherein the wire and the mesh portion extend over substantially the entire length of the cylindrical body. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The catheter is characterized in that the thickness of the wire varies depending on the position in the extending direction of the wire. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The said wire has the softness | flexibility which changes with positions of the extension direction of this wire, The catheter characterized by the above-mentioned. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The catheter, wherein the wire contains a contrast agent. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A mesh-like reinforcing portion that extends along the extending direction of the cylindrical body in a state of being embedded in the wall portion of the cylindrical body and is made of a material harder than the material that forms the cylindrical body is further provided. ,
The composite structure including the wire and the mesh portion extends through the mesh gap so as to sew the mesh of the reinforcing portion along the extending direction of the cylindrical body. And catheter. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A plurality of composite structures including the wire and the mesh portion are provided,
The catheter, wherein the plurality of composite structures are embedded in a wall portion of the cylindrical body in a state of being spaced apart at substantially equal intervals along a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The said mesh part is comprised so that the mesh | network space | interval may differ with the position of the extension direction of the said wire, The catheter characterized by the above-mentioned. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A first composite structure including the mesh portion having the first mesh interval and the wire;
A catheter comprising: a second composite structure including the mesh portion having a second mesh interval narrower than the first mesh interval and the wire. The catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A shaft having flexibility;
The catheter is characterized in that the tubular body constitutes a sheath that is provided outside the shaft and accommodates an expanded structure that is expandable radially outward of the tubular body in a contracted state.

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