A dilator capable of improving a propulsive force or reducing a resistance is provided. A dilator includes a hollow shaft having a tapered portion with an outer diameter gradually increasing from a distal end to a proximal end, and a protruding portion formed on an outer periphery of the tapered portion and spirally extending along a longitudinal axis direction of the hollow shaft on the outer periphery of the tapered portion. The protruding portion has a first protruding portion located on a distal end side of the tapered portion, and a second protruding portion located on a proximal end side of the tapered portion, and the first and second protruding portions and differ from each other in terms of a height from an outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion.

A catheter for a hepatic artery introduced from an arm of a patient includes a first bent portion, a second bent portion distal of the first bent portion and bent to the same side as the first bent portion, a third bent portion disposed on a distal side of the second bent portion and bent to an opposite side from the second bent portion, and a most distal end portion disposed distal of the third bent portion, in which a minimum radius of curvature of the first bent portion is larger than a minimum radius of curvature of the second bent portion. The most distal end portion is directed to a common hepatic artery and the first bent portion comes into contact with an aorta wall on an opposite side from a celiac artery when the second bent portion contacts a blood vessel wall of the celiac artery.

A method for performing a medical procedure in an intestine of a patient is provided. The method comprises providing a system comprising: a catheter for insertion into the intestine, the catheter comprising: an elongate shaft comprising a distal portion; and a functional assembly positioned on the shaft distal portion and comprising at least one treatment element. The catheter is introduced into the patient, and target tissue is treated with the at least one treatment element. The target tissue comprises mucosal tissue of the small intestine, and the medical procedure can be configured to treat at least one of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The present invention relates to a stent with a pigtail structure used for connection between organs of different kinds where a through hole is formed on each of the organs of different kinds and portions around the through holes are connected to each other, the stent comprising: a stent body where both end parts are arranged across the through holes formed on the organs of different kinds and a connecting passage which connects the two organs of different kinds is formed; and a one-side wound end part and an other-side wound end part which are formed in a pigtail shape at both end parts of the stent body to be caught and fixed to the through holes, such that portions of the organs of different kinds around the through holes are in close contact with each other, wherein the stent body, the one-side wound end part, and the other-side wound end part are provided as an integral body having a mesh structure made of woven wire and comprising a cover film which covers the woven wire for sealing of the connecting passage.

In some embodiments, data sensed and/or operational parameters used during a catheterization procedure are used in the motion frame-rate updating and visual rendering of a simulated organ geometry. The organ geometry is rendered as a virtual material using a software environment (preferably a graphical game engine) which applies simulated optical laws to material appearance parameters affecting the virtual material's visual appearance, as part of simulating a scene comprising the simulated organ geometry, and optionally also comprising simulated views of a catheter probe used for sensing and/or treatment. Optionally, measurements of and/or effects on tissue by sensing and/or commanded probe-tissue interactions are converted into material appearance changes, allowing dynamic visual simulation of intra-body states and/or events based on optionally non-visual input data. In some embodiments, physiology, motion physics, and/or other physical processes are simulated based on live inputs as part of associating material appearance properties to the simulated tissue's geometry.

A catheter for a hepatic artery introduced from an arm of a patient includes a first bent portion, a second bent portion distal of the first bent portion and bent to the same side as the first bent portion, a third bent portion disposed on a distal side of the second bent portion and bent to an opposite side from the second bent portion, and a most distal end portion disposed distal of the third bent portion, in which a minimum radius of curvature of the first bent portion is larger than a minimum radius of curvature of the second bent portion. The most distal end portion is directed to a common hepatic artery and the first bent portion comes into contact with an aorta wall on an opposite side from a celiac artery when the second bent portion contacts a blood vessel wall of the celiac artery.

In some embodiments, data sensed and/or operational parameters used during a catheterization procedure are used in the motion frame-rate updating and visual rendering of a simulated organ geometry. The organ geometry is rendered as a virtual material using a software environment (preferably a graphical game engine) which applies simulated optical laws to material appearance parameters affecting the virtual material's visual appearance, as part of simulating a scene comprising the simulated organ geometry, and optionally also comprising simulated views of a catheter probe used for sensing and/or treatment. Optionally, measurements of and/or effects on tissue by sensing and/or commanded probe-tissue interactions are converted into material appearance changes, allowing dynamic visual simulation of intra-body states and/or events based on optionally non-visual input data. In some embodiments, physiology, motion physics, and/or other physical processes are simulated based on live inputs as part of associating material appearance properties to the simulated tissue's geometry.

A branch blood vessel insertion catheter has a catheter body having a lumen penetrating therethrough from a distal end of the catheter body to a proximal end thereof to allow a guide wire to be inserted therethrough. The catheter body has an inner layer, a wire-wound reinforcing member provided on an outer surface of the inner layer, and an outer layer covering both the inner layer and the reinforcing member. The catheter body has a first physical property change point located at a position apart from a distal end of the catheter at a distance of 3.0 to 7.0 mm and a rigidity of a portion of the catheter body located proximally from the first physical property change point is set higher than that of a portion of the catheter body located distally from the first physical property change point.

A filter apparatus for removing small molecule chemotherapy agents from blood is provided. The filter apparatus comprises a housing with an extraction media comprised of polymer coated carbon cores. Also provided are methods of treating a subject with cancer of an organ or region comprising administering a chemotherapeutic agent to the organ or region, collecting blood laded with chemotherapeutic agent from the isolated organ, filtering the blood laden with chemotherapeutic agent to reduce the chemotherapeutic agent in the blood and returning the blood to the subject.

A method for performing a medical procedure in an intestine of a patient is provided. The method comprises providing a system comprising: a catheter for insertion into the intestine, the catheter comprising: an elongate shaft comprising a distal portion; and a functional assembly positioned on the shaft distal portion and comprising at least one treatment element. The catheter is introduced into the patient, and target tissue is treated with the at least one treatment element. The target tissue comprises mucosal tissue of the small intestine, and the medical procedure can be configured to treat at least one of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).