The invention provides a system for treating an occlusion within a body lumen. The system may comprise an insulated outer sheath; an elongated conductive tube, wherein the insulated outer sheath is circumferentially mounted around the elongated conductive tube; and an insulated wire having a helically coiled portion at a distal end of the insulated wire. The coiled portion includes an exposed distal tip, and a distal portion of the elongated conductive tube is circumferentially mounted around the distal coiled portion of the insulated wire. When a voltage is applied across the insulated wire and the elongated conductive tube, a current is configured to flow from the exposed distal tip of the insulated wire to the elongated conductive tube to generate a plurality of cavitation bubbles. In an alternate embodiment, an elongated central electrode is used in place of the conductive tube.

Vascular treatment and methods include a plurality of self-expanding bulbs and a hypotube including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs. Joints between woven structures and hypotubes include solder. Woven structures include patterns of radiopaque filaments measureable under x-ray. Structures are heat treated to include at least shapes at different temperatures. A catheter includes a hypotube including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs. Heat treating systems include a detachable flange. Laser cutting systems include a fluid flow system.

A control apparatus of an insertion apparatus in which a state specifying unit specifies a state of an insertion member to carry out vibration control depending on the state, thereby removing getting-stuck of a tip of the insertion member with a vibration having such a proper magnitude as not to cause an overload in a case where the tip of the insertion member is gotten stuck.

An intravascular emboli capture and retrieval system for intravascular embolism protection and embolism removal or maceration. Guidewire mounted proximally and distally located multiple opening filters are deployed within the vasculature and used to part, divide and macerate embolic debris and to capture such embolic debris within the confines thereof. A deployable flexible preformed memory shaped capture sleeve is alternatively used to collapse one or more filters and embolic debris therein for subsequent proximal withdrawal from the vasculature.

A cage can be positioned around a medical balloon, such as an angioplasty balloon, to assist in a medical procedure. The cage can include a plurality of strips, each extending between a set of rings including first and second rings. As the balloon expands, the first and second rings move closer together and allow the strips to expand outward. The cage may have wedge dissectors on the strips.

A system can comprise a catheter and a device having an elongate member and an expandable member. The expandable member can be coupled to the elongate member. The elongate member can extend through the catheter. The expandable member can be positioned with a proximal member end proximal to a distal catheter end, a distal member end positioned distal to the distal catheter end, and at least a portion of the expandable member between the distal catheter end and the distal member end in an expanded state in which a maximum transverse dimension of the expandable member is larger than a maximum transverse dimension of the distal member end. The catheter can be advanced in a patient's body with the expandable structure, in the expanded state, at the distal end of the catheter.

Described herein are flexible implantable occluding devices that can, for example, navigate the tortuous vessels of the neurovasculature. The occluding devices can also conform to the shape of the tortuous vessels of the vasculature. In some embodiments, the occluding devices can direct blood flow within a vessel away from an aneurysm or limit blood flow to the aneurysm. Some embodiments describe methods and apparatus for adjusting, along a length of the device, the porosity of the occluding device. In some embodiments, the occluding devices allows adequate blood flow to be provided to adjacent structures such that those structures, whether they are branch vessels or oxygen-demanding tissues, are not deprived of the necessary blood flow.

A resiliently expandable elongate tubular spring structure, e.g., corresponding to a metal mesh type structure, mountable or mounted to a scoring balloon catheter includes multiple ring structures that are longitudinally separated from each other along portions of a balloon working region, and which are resiliently radially expandable in response to outwardly directed balloon expansion forces. Pairwise adjacent ring structures are structurally coupled and separated from each other by a scoring link, e.g., a single scoring link, configured as a traumatic structure with respect to vascular tissue, e.g., by way of having a square, trapezoidal, or raised blade tissue scoring/cutting profile. Each ring structure includes a pair of radially resiliently radially expandable annular springs, longitudinally separated from each other by a plurality of spacing elements, e.g., wire links, and which are atraumatic or substantially atraumatic structures relative to the scoring link with respect to tissue.

Described here are devices and methods for forming shock waves. The devices may comprise an axially extending elongate member. A first electrode pair may comprise a first electrode and a second electrode. The first electrode pair may be provided on the elongate member and positioned within a conductive fluid. A controller may be coupled to the first electrode pair. The controller may be configured to deliver a series of individual pulses to the first electrode pair, where each pulse creates a shock wave. The controller may cause current to flow through the electrode pair in a first direction for some of the pulses in the series and in a second direction opposite the first direction for the remaining pulses in the series.

Mechanical thrombectomy apparatuses that may be configured to prevent or reduce jamming (e.g., “anti-jamming” thrombectomy devices), grab clot, and/or macerate the thrombus, e.g., clot, being removed. These mechanical thrombectomy apparatuses may include a tractor comprising a flexible tube of material that inverts as it rolls over itself while being drawn into a catheter in a conveyor-like motion. In particular, described herein are mechanical thrombectomy apparatuses having tractors selectably extendable projections that may aid in grabbing and/or macerating a clot. Also described herein are seesawing tractors for mechanical thrombectomy apparatuses.