CPC A61B 17/22012 (2013.01) [A61B 17/22004 (2013.01); A61B 17/2202 (2013.01); A61B 17/22022 (2013.01); A61B 17/22029 (2013.01); A61B 17/225 (2013.01); A61B 18/245 (2013.01); A61B 18/26 (2013.01); A61H 9/0057 (2013.01); A61H 23/008 (2013.01); G10K 11/28 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00867 (2013.01); A61B 17/22 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22014 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22024 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22025 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22039 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22051 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22054 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22067 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22079 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22082 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22084 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2212 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2253 (2013.01); A61B 17/2255 (2013.01); A61H 2201/14 (2013.01); A61H 2201/1664 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0008 (2013.01)] | 6 Claims |
1. An apparatus comprising:
a catheter sized to fit within a wall of a blood vessel;
a balloon including a liquid inlet coupled to the catheter, wherein the catheter includes a distal end closed tip that is distal to the balloon, and
first and second electrodes within the balloon aligned on a longitudinal axis along the length of the catheter, wherein the electrodes upon electrical discharge produce unfocused radial pressure shock waves in liquid of the balloon, and wherein one or both of the first and second electrodes do not intersect outward propagation of the unfocused radial pressure shock waves in a direction from the longitudinal axis of the catheter to the wall of the blood vessel.
|