Intravascular micro active catheter for minimal invasive surgery

The authors have developed an intravascular micro active catheter system for microsurgery in human vascular systems, such as cerebrovascular and coronary arteries. Also this system can be applied to laparoscopical treatment. It consists of the micro active bending catheter and some functional catheters. The former is a tube-like catheter which has an outer-diameter of 3.0 mm, an inner-diameter of 2.0 mm and a length of 1000 mm. It´s inner hole is a pathway for the functional catheters, such as conventional guide wire, balloon catheter, conventional suction tube, micro ultrasound probe catheter, fiber optics (angioscope), angioplatic devices and drug injection lines. This active bending catheter is actuated with three SMA (shape-memory-alloy) zigzag type springs-SMA wires are connected with plastic and brass connection links. This actuator can be bent to any direction with the PWM controlled electric current. The authors also developed a micro drug infusion catheter and a micro ultrasound probe catheter fitted to the inner hole of active bending catheter. All of these systems were evaluated with the human mock circulation system. They can be introduced through 90°, 120°, 180° crooked branches to the brachiocephalic artery, common carotid artery, subelavian artery and so on in the mock circulation system. Also, the authors tested this endoscope system in vivo by performing laparoscopical surgery on a pig. They could easily induce the catheter to the point they wanted in the pig ovary