Cholangiogram catheter

Claim 2

A balloon catheter comprising; a housing; a catheter tube extending from the housing and having a bendable distal end portion; an inflatable balloon at a distal end of the catheter tube; control means for controllably bending the distal end portion of the catheter tube, the control means including an actuator supported by the housing and coupling means connecting the actuator and said distal end portion; a first lumen extending through the housing, through the catheter body and through the distal end of the catheter body, said first lumen providing a passage through the catheter body for a guidewire or a contrast fluid; a fluid passage extending between the balloon and the housing, the fluid passageway allowing inflation of the balloon when pressure is applied to a fluid medium in the fluid passageway; and an inflation device built-in and supported within the housing, the inflation device being in fluid communication with the fluid passageway and having manually operable means supported by the housing to pressurize a fluid medium in the fluid passageway for inflation of the balloon.

Claim 3

The balloon catheter of claim 1, wherein the inflation device includes a bladder in fluid communication with the fluid passageway, the bladder being biased in an expanded condition, and the manually operable means includes a button movable between first and second positions, the bladder being compressed when the button is moved from the first to the second position to expand the balloon by pressurizing the fluid medium in the fluid passageway.

Claim 4

The balloon catheter of claim 2, further comprising a spring biasing the bladder in the expanded condition.

Claim 5

The balloon catheter of claim 2, wherein the button is mounted at a position between opposite ends of the housing;

Claim 6

The balloon catheter of claim 2, wherein the button is mounted at an end of the housing.

Claim 7

The balloon catheter of claim 2, wherein the housing is elongated in shape and the button is mounted in a proximal end surface of the housing.

Claim 8

The balloon catheter of claim 2, wherein the button is rotatable from a first angular orientation to a second angular orientation, the button being lockable in the second position when the button is in the first angular orientation and the button being free to return to the first position when the button is in the second angular orientation.

Claim 9

The balloon catheter of claim 7, wherein the button includes at least one locking projection thereon and the housing including one or more locking teeth, the locking projection engaging one of the locking teeth when the button is in the second position and in the first angular orientation.

Claim 10

The balloon catheter of claim 7, wherein the button includes a position indicator for identifying when the button is in the first or second angular orientation.

Claim 11

The balloon catheter of claim 1, wherein the control means includes a control wire extending between the distal end of the catheter tube and the actuator supported by the housing, the actuator being movable between first and second positions, the distal end portion of the catheter tube being deflected when the actuator is moved from the first to the second position.

Claim 12

The balloon catheter of claim 10, wherein the actuator comprises a lever pivotally mounted on the housing.

Claim 13

The balloon catheter of claim 10, wherein the actuator comprises a member which is slidably mounted on the housing.

Claim 14

The balloon catheter of claim 12, wherein the member includes a finger actuated projection thereon.

Claim 15

The balloon catheter of claim 12, wherein the member comprises a ring coaxial with the catheter tube and having an annular surface which can be finger actuated at any position around the catheter tube.

Claim 16

The balloon catheter of claim 14, wherein the ring is located at a distal end of the housing.

Claim 17

The balloon catheter of claim 5, further comprising a second lumen extending from the housing and through the catheter body, the control wire passing through the second lumen.

Claim 18

The balloon catheter of claim 16, wherein the first and the second lumen are lumens of a bifilar tube.

Claim 19

The balloon catheter of claim 16, wherein the first and the second lumen are lumens of separate tubes.

Claim 20

The balloon catheter of claim 5, wherein the control wire includes an integral loop formed at a distal end thereof, the loop being adhesively bonded to the tip of the catheter body such that the loop surrounds the guidewire lumen.

Claim 21

The balloon catheter of claim 1, wherein the distal end of the catheter includes a metal tube, a plastic tube surrounding the metal tube with a distal portion of the plastic tube extending beyond a distal end of the metal tube, and a helical spring surrounding the plastic tube with a proximal end of the helical spring positioned adjacent the distal end of the metal tube.

Claim 22

The balloon catheter of claim 20, wherein the balloon is supported on the distal portion of the plastic tube with a proximal end of the balloon positioned adjacent distal end of the spring.

Claim 23

The balloon catheter of claim 1, further comprising a second lumen extending from the housing and through the catheter body and through the distal end of the catheter body, said coupling means passing through the second lumen.

Claim 24

A balloon catheter comprising: a catheter tube having a bendable distal end portion; an inflatable balloon at the distal end of the catheter tube; a housing providing a handle on the proximal end of the catheter tube; a fluid passageway extending between the balloon and the handle housing; articulation means supported on the handle housing for bending the distal end portion of the catheter tube, the articulation means including an actuator supported by the housing and coupling means connecting the actuator and said distal end portion; a first lumen extending through the handle housing, through the catheter body and through the distal end of the catheter body, said first lumen providing a passage through the catheter body for a guidewire or contrast fluid; and an inflation device supported within the handle housing to pressurize a fluid medium in the fluid passageway for inflation of the balloon, the inflation device having a resilient distendable fluid container in fluid communication with the fluid passageway and manually operable means supported by the housing to apply pressure to the fluid container to pressurize the fluid medium.

Claim 25

A balloon catheter comprising: a catheter tube having a bendable distal end portion; an inflatable balloon at the distal end of the catheter tube; a housing providing a handle on the proximal end of the catheter tube; a fluid passageway extending between the balloon and the handle housing; articulation means supported on the handle housing for bending the distal end portion of the catheter tube, the articulation means including an actuator supported by the housing and coupling means connecting the actuator and said distal end portion; a first lumen extending through the handle housing, through the catheter body and through the distal end of the catheter body, said first lumen providing a passage through the catheter body for a guidewire or contrast fluid; and an inflation device supported within the handle housing to pressurize a fluid medium in the fluid passageway for inflation of the balloon, the inflation device having a resilient distendable fluid container in fluid communication with the fluid passageway and manually operable means supported by the housing to apply pressure to the fluid container to pressurize the fluid medium.

Claim 26

The balloon catheter of claim 23, wherein the inflation device includes a resilient means to bias the fluid container in the distended condition, and the manually operable means includes an element displaceable between first and second positions, the fluid container being pressed when the element is moved from the first to the second position to pressurize the fluid medium in the fluid passageway.

Claim 27

The balloon catheter of claim 24, wherein the displaceable element is rotatable from a first angular orientation to a second angular orientation, the element being lockable in the second position when the element is in the first angular orientation and the element being free to return to the first position when the element is in the second angular position.

Claim 28

The balloon catheter of claim 24, wherein the articulation means includes a control wire extending between the distal end of the catheter tube and an actuator supported by the handle housing, the actuator being movable between first and second positions, the distal end of the catheter tube being deflected when the actuator is moved from the first to the second position.

Claim 29

The balloon catheter of claim 25, further comprising a second lumen extending from the handle housing and through the catheter body, the second lumen providing a passageway for the control wire.

Claim 30

The balloon catheter of claim 27, wherein the actuator comprises a lever pivotally mounted on the handle.

Claim 31

The balloon catheter of claim 27, wherein the actuator comprises a member slidably mounted on the handle.