Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Shin-ichi Ohkawa

Koichi Tsuno

Norifumi Matsumiya

Jun-ichi Hiramoto

A catheter adapted to be inserted into a blood vessel is disclosed which comprises a flexible tube-like sheath including a fluid passage therein and a radially expansive and contractive balloon disposed about the peripheral surface of the distal end portion of said sheath and communicating with said fluid passage. The catheter is characterized in that a light guide formed by extrusion for transmitting illumination light to the leading end of the catheter has disposed therein, an image guide for transmitting an image from the distal end of the catheter, and a transparent liquid guide passage opening at the distal end of the catheter, are guide being disposed substantially in parallel with each other within the flexible tube-like sheath whereby the catheter includes the concurrent function of an endoscope.

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Konohana, Japan

Shin-ichi Ohkawa