Medical devices and systems for treating a stricture along the biliary and/or pancreatic tract are disclosed. An example medical device may include a guidewire for use along the biliary and/or pancreatic tract. The guidewire may include an elongate core member having a proximal end region and a distal end region. A coil member may be disposed along the distal end region. An actuation member may be coupled to the coil member. The actuation member may be configured to shift the coil member between a first configuration and a compressed configuration. The coil member may be configured to be advanced across a biliary and/or pancreatic stricture when in the compressed configuration. A sleeve may be disposed over the coil member.

A medical guidewire configured for puncturing a tissue. The medical guidewire includes an elongate guidewire body having a proximal portion with a first outer diameter and a distal portion with a second outer diameter. The second outer diameter is smaller than the first outer diameter, forming a tapered section between the first outer diameter and second outer diameter. The medical guidewire further includes a piercing device extending from the distal portion, forming a puncturing distal tip. An identification device is positioned on the elongate guidewire body on the first outer diameter proximal the tapered section. The identification device is configured to enhance detectable visibility of the medical guidewire.

A guidewire includes a guidewire shaft and an inflatable element arranged at a distal end of the guidewire shaft. At least a portion of the guidewire shaft is formed of metal, and the guidewire shaft includes a lumen that fluidly communicates with an interior of the inflatable element. The inflatable element is operable to transition between a deflated state in which the inflatable element is configured to pass through an isthmus of a Eustachian tube (ET), and an inflated state in which the inflatable element is configured to dilate the ET.

A surgical instrument navigation system is provided that visually simulates a virtual volumetric scene of a body cavity of a patient from a point of view of a surgical instrument residing in the cavity of the patient. The surgical instrument navigation system includes: a surgical instrument; an imaging device which is operable to capture scan data representative of an internal region of interest within a given patient; a tracking subsystem that employs electro-magnetic sensing to capture in real-time position data indicative of the position of the surgical instrument; a data processor which is operable to render a volumetric, perspective image of the internal region of interest from a point of view of the surgical instrument; and a display which is operable to display the volumetric perspective image of the patient.

A catheter for insertion into vasculature of a patient to a target area in the vasculature includes a hollow inner shaft, a non-occluding self-expandable scaffold coupled to the distal end of the inner shaft and disposed at the distal end of the inner shaft, and a hollow outer shaft. The outer shaft is slidable over the inner shaft and scaffold such that the scaffold is in a non-expanded state when the outer shaft is around the scaffold. The outer shaft has a state where the distal end of the outer shaft remains near the target area without the inner shaft and the scaffold being within the outer shaft. The inner shaft and the scaffold are removable through the proximal end of the outer shaft while the distal end of the outer shaft remains near the target area.

Disclosed is a guidewire stop configured to lock a medical device onto a guidewire. The guidewire stop comprises a locking element, an actuator coupled to the locking element and a locking tube, wherein at least a section of the guidewire and at least part of the locking element or actuator pass through the locking tube. Further disclosed is that the locking tube comprises an unlocking element configured to unlock the medical device from the guidewire. The disclosed guidewire stop has at least the following three configurations: —an initial unlocked configuration in which the guidewire stop and the medical device are movable relative to the guidewire; —a first locked configuration in which the guidewire stop and the medical device are not movable relative to the guidewire; and—a first unlocked configuration in which the guidewire stop and the medical device are movable relative to the guidewire.

A steerable guide wire and/or a catheter device and associated method. The device includes a guide wire having a distal end, a hollow interior, and an anchoring mechanism positioned proximate to the distal end of the guide wire. The device further includes a core wire is slidably inserted into the hollow interior of the guide wire. Upon insertion, the core wire actuates the anchoring mechanism to anchor the guide wire at an anchoring location

A steerable guide wire and/or a catheter device and associated method. The device includes a guide wire having a distal end, a hollow interior, and an anchoring mechanism positioned proximate to the distal end of the guide wire. The device further includes a core wire is slidably inserted into the hollow interior of the guide wire. Upon insertion, the core wire actuates the anchoring mechanism to anchor the guide wire at an anchoring location.

The present invention relates to a medical robot system capable of effectively removing a calcified thrombus in a blood vessel. The present invention proposes a new guide-wired helical microrobot for mechanical thrombectomy applied to a calcified thrombus. Also, the present invention proposes an electromagnetic navigation system (ENS) which uses a high frequency operation that is based on a resonant effect in order to enhance the boring force of a microrobot. The microrobot system of the present invention can precisely tunnel through a blood vessel blockage site by means of the electromagnetic navigation system without damaging blood vessel walls. The microrobot system of the present invention has a wide range of applications including not only for thrombosis, but also thromboangiitis obliterans caused by vasoocclusion, cerebral infarction, strokes, angina or myocardial infarction, peripheral artery occlusive disease, or atherosclerosis, etc.

A medical guidewire assembly is movable through a guidewire introducer. A piercing stylet device extends from the medical guidewire assembly. The piercing stylet device is configured to puncture tissue of a patient in response to movement of the medical guidewire assembly through the guidewire introducer toward tissue. An identification device is mounted to the medical guidewire assembly. The identification device is spaced apart from the piercing stylet device. The identification device is configured to enhance the detectible visibility of the piercing stylet device.