Initial experience with an extendable and reusable probe balloon-on-a-wire dilatation catheter in multivessel...

The "probe" balloon-on-a-wire device is an excellent balloon catheter for traversing very tight stenoses. Extending the probe by transecting its proximal inflation hub and then linking it to an extension wire has further enhanced its utility, as a wire exchange can then be performed without loosing wire access across a dilated lesion. We now report a previously undescribed technique for reconstituting and reusing an extended probe. The probe is initially transected at its proximal end. It is then extended by connecting a "Linx" wire into the open central lumen of the probe's hypotube. An over-the-wire balloon dilatation system is then substituted, via a wire exchange using a probing catheter, for final definitive dilatation. The probe is then reconstituted in the following manner. The inflation hub of the probe is recreated by modifying a standard USCI Tuohy-Borst Y adaptor and attaching this to the transected probe hypotube. It is subsequently used for dilating other stenotic arteries during multivessel angioplasty. The utility of this method was demonstrated in 5 consecutive cases. All cases underwent successful dilatations. There were no complications. This initial experience would suggest that the probe can be reused quite safely and effectively.