US Patent 6932829 Centering catheter

A catheter with at least one centering device attached near a distal end of the catheter. The centering device has at least two struts extending between a proximal end and a distal end. The centering device has a variable diameter and tends to center the distal end of the catheter, steering the catheter away from the vessel wall during insertion through the vasculature and toward the treatment site. The centering catheter may facilitate access to tortuous anatomy by preventing the catheter tip from catching on irregularities in the lumenal surface. The centering catheter may also facilitate uniform stent expansion by stabilizing the catheter during stent deployment.