Guide wire angioplasty balloon catheter: preliminary report.

A new balloon catheter has been developed for angioplasty. The balloon is more flexible and its walls are thinner than those of conventional catheters. It folds down better yet withstands 8-10 atm of pressure. This advance has been married to new guide wire technology, producing a low-profile angioplasty balloon on a 0.038-inch guide wire. It compared favorably with a standard 7-F angioplasty catheter when tested at 4 atm in a rabbit and has been successfully used to dilate ten peripheral stenoses in four patients.