Creation of a cleft in an angiography catheter to facilitate catheterization of branches of the aorta arising at an acute angle.

The authors report on the use of a catheter with a cleft for catheterization of a branch artery arising from the aorta with an acute angle. The cleft was created on either the right or cephalad portion at the tip of a seated 4-F shepherd hook catheter in the artery origin, depending on vessel angulation during chemoembolization procedures. This catheter was used in eight arteries-seven inferior phrenic arteries and one right subcostal artery-that could not be catheterized with a conventional coaxial technique. The microcatheter was successfully introduced into all eight vessels through the cleft without complications.