A clot retrieval device for removing clot from a blood vessel including a plurality of ring elements comprising a plurality of struts forming one or more closed cells having one or more crown elements and attached together by connecting tethers at connection points, a plurality of openings through which clot may pass and enter the device, each opening being disposed between respective ring elements. Each ring element can be self-expandable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration wherein a radial force biases the ring elements toward the expanded configuration. At least one of the crown element terminates in an apex away from a center axis of the device.

An endovascular apparatus for crossing through an obstruction in a blood vessel comprises an elongate endovascular element such as a wire. The element has a proximal section, a distal tip section of smaller diameter than the proximal section; and a distally-tapering intermediate section extending between the proximal and distal tip sections. The apparatus comprises an ultrasonic transducer, mechanically coupled to the proximal section of the element for ultrasonically activating the element, hence exciting the distal tip section to facilitate crossing through the obstruction. A catheter surrounds the element, leaving at least part of the distal tip section of the element protruding distally beyond a distal end of the catheter.

An intravascular thrombus retraction device includes: wires that are compressible into a compact cylindrical form within a catheter and are self-expandable into a wire mesh web with at least some parallel wires forming openings in the wire mesh sufficient to allow fluid passage and small enough to filter particles of at least 0.001 mm, a base of the wire mesh web connected to radial ring-shaped structure supporting and maintaining an opening in the base of the wire mesh and forming a thrombus capture volume, and the radial ring-shaped structure being compressible into the catheter and being self-expandable or expandable by struts when free of compressive forces within the catheter to open up into an open, expanded, radial ring-shaped structure which maintains the opening in the opening in the base of the wire mesh.

A clot removal device for removal of an occlusion from a lumen in a patient's body is provided. The clot removal device has a lumen, an elongated member positioned within the lumen and extending axially from a proximal end to a distal end of the lumen, a handle attached to the proximal end of the lumen, a first expandable member positioned along a length of the elongated member, a second expandable member positioned along the length of the elongated member, wherein the second expandable member is distal to the first expandable member relative to the handle. The handle has at least one actuation mechanism and at least one of the following applies: a) the first expandable member is coupled to the at least one actuation mechanism and is configured to be moveable relative to the second expandable member upon manipulation of the at least one actuation mechanism; b) the first expandable member is configured to mechanically expand or contract by manipulating the at least one actuation mechanism; c) the second expandable member is coupled to the at least one actuation mechanism and is configured to be moveable relative to the first expandable member upon manipulation of the at least one actuation mechanism; or d) the second expandable member is configured to mechanically expand or contract by manipulating the at least one actuation mechanism.

An endovascular apparatus for crossing through an obstruction in a blood vessel comprises: an elongate endovascular element such as a wire; an ultrasonic transducer, mechanically coupled to the endovascular element for ultrasonically exciting a distal tip portion thereof to facilitate the crossing through the obstruction, and one or more damping features, mechanically coupled to the endovascular element to attenuate lateral displacement of the endovascular element at positions away from the distal tip portion.

Clot engagement element comprising bundle of unwoven fibers can be assembled to form an acute stroke treatment device. The device has the capability of forming a three dimensional filtration matrix comprising effective pores with a distribution of sizes. The bundle of fiber design allows the device to be effectively delivered into circuitous cerebral arteries to remove clot that causes stroke. The fiber bundle based filtration matrix offers the advantages of conforming to the changing inner perimeter of a blood vessel during a clot removal process and thus the capability to effectively retain and remove a clot in the vessel. The filtration matrix offers the additional advantage to trap any break-off of the clot during the removal process. A plurality of fiber bundles can be combined to form an effective clot engagement element. Supplemental engagement structure as well as mechanical treatment structure can be integrated into the stroke treatment device. The deployment of the fiber based elements can be facilitated by actuation tool. Aspiration can be employed during the clot removal process.

A vascular device insertion system includes a support catheter having a hub, a flexible elongate member that extends distally from the hub, and a catheter lumen that extends through the hub and the flexible elongate member. An insertion module housing is configured to contain a motor having a hollow motor shaft. The hollow motor shaft has a proximal end, a distal end, a distal end portion, and an elongate opening that extends from the proximal end to the distal end. The distal end portion of the hollow motor shaft is configured to couple to the hub of the support catheter. The elongate opening of the hollow motor shaft and the catheter lumen of the support catheter together define a continuous passage. A motor controller is electrically coupled to the motor, and is configured to rotationally oscillate the hollow motor shaft to in turn rotationally oscillate the support catheter.

Retrieval of material from vessel lumens can be improved by use of a distal element comprising an expandable mesh. a treatment device includes an elongated member having a proximal portion and a distal portion configured to be positioned within a blood vessel at a treatment site at or near a thrombus. A distal element comprising an expandable mesh is coupled to the distal portion of the elongated member via a connection assembly. In an expanded state, at least a portion of the mesh is configured to be in apposition with the blood vessel wall at the treatment site to anchor or stabilize the elongated member with respect to the blood vessel. The distal element can be electrically coupled to an extracorporeal current generator.

A catheter includes a hollow shaft and a metal distal tip connected to a distal end of the shaft. The distal tip includes, between a distal end of the distal tip and the distal end of the shaft, an enlarged diameter portion where an outer diameter in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the shaft is largest, and an outer diameter at the enlarged diameter portion is larger than an outer diameter of the distal end of the shaft. An outer shape of the distal tip sandwiching the enlarged diameter portion between a distal and a proximal end side may be formed as a curved surface with gradually changing inclination. The distal tip may have an outer shape between the enlarged diameter portion and the distal end of the shaft that is outwardly concave.

The invention describes catheter systems and methods for accessing the brain during endovascular/neurointervention procedures in the treatment of ischemic stroke. More specifically, a catheter system having a deployable redirection device (RD) is described that improves the process of accessing a clot in a patient with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion.