Historical perspective.
Development of the first percutaneous catheters for local delivery is described. Understanding of the mechanisms by which circulating materials gain entrance to the artery wall, and the importance of hypertension in accelerating that process were crucial to the conceptual basis of these devices. The double balloon catheter and the porous balloon catheter were systematically studied to quantify the local pressure-wall penetration relationship. Designs for many new catheters that claim advantage over early models require similar systematic demonstration of their performance with normal and diseased arteries. Only in this way can this promising new technique become a clinical advance against human vascular disease.
Wolinsky
H
H
Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center, New York, NY 10129, USA.
D000818:Animals; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002404:Catheterization; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial / Q000266:history*