Percutaneous transluminal microwave balloon angioplasty

Microwave balloon angioplasty (MBA), which combines conventional balloon angioplasty techniques with microwave heating to help enlarge the lumen of narrowed arteries and reduce the occurrence of restenosis, is discussed. An apparatus for the delivery of MBA using 2450 MHz heating power is described. Using this apparatus, local arterial wall temperatures as higher 90 degrees C were obtained during MBA on anesthetized rabbits. Tissue modification of the arterial walls due to simultaneous ballooning and heating was observed. >