Sensor guided coronary deobstruction catheter

Work in progress on the development of a nonsurgical deobstruction technique is described. The catheter in development is an advanced micromechanical device with an external diameter of 2 mm. The parts to be integrated in the catheter tip are: (1) an ultrasonic transducer for visualization of the internal diameter of the artery and tissue characterization; (2) an integrated ultrasonic transmitter-receiver for high signal quality; (3) a deobstruction unit using laser ablation or spark erosion; and (4) an optical position decoder.<
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