catheter

Abstract

To provide a catheter with more excellent operability.SOLUTION: A catheter 100 comprises a long tubular body 10 with a lumen 20, The tubular body 10 includes a resin body 23 and a surface lubrication layer 25 formed on the outer surface of the body 23. The body 23 has a small diameter part 27 having a small outside diameter, at a plurality of axial places. The tubular body 10 reflects the shape of the small diameter part 27 and has portions each having a small outside diameter, at a plurality of axial places.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a catheter. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a catheter that is inserted into a body cavity and used to inject a liquid such as a medicinal solution into the body cavity is described in Patent Document 1. The catheter in Patent Document 1 comprises a tubular body (referred to as a shaft in the document) that is a long tubular member, and a lumen formed by the inner cavity of the tubular body, and the outer diameter of the tubular body (excluding the most distal end) is approximately constant regardless of the position in the axial direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-72769 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the investigations of the present inventors, there is still room for improvement in the operability of the catheter structure of Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a catheter having a structure with even greater operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, a catheter includes an elongated tubular body having a lumen; two or three markers provided at the distal end of the tubular body; an operating wire extending along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body and capable of being pulled; The tubular body includes: An inner layer that is the innermost layer of the tubular body and aThe lubricating layer has a resin body and a surface lubricating layer formed on the outer surface of the body. The main body has a small outer diameter. Multiple Thin Diameter Section With death, The tubular body reflects the shape of the thin diameter portion, The tubular body The outer diameter is reduced at a plurality of locations in the axial direction, the two or three markers include a first marker disposed most distally and a second marker disposed most proximally; a distal end of the operating wire is fixed to a distal end portion of the tubular body via the first marker; The plurality of thin diameter portions are The small diameter portion is disposed between the first marker and the second marker in the axial direction. a tip-side narrow diameter portion, the thin-diameter portion disposed on the proximal side of the second marker; and a proximal narrow diameter portion, the number of the distal end side thin diameter portions included in the plurality of thin diameter portions is one, while the number of the proximal end side thin diameter portions included in the plurality of thin diameter portions is two or more; In the axial direction, the distance between the tip of the proximal end thin diameter portion that is arranged on the most distal side of the two or more proximal end thin diameter portions and the proximal end of the distal end thin diameter portion is greater than the distance between the proximal end thin diameter portions that are arranged adjacent to each other. A catheter is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the operability of the catheter can be further improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a catheter according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the distal end of the tubular body in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the distal end of a tubular body in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a tubular body according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7]7(a) and 7(b) are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the catheter according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7(b). In all drawings, similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 are cross-sectional views taken along the axial direction of the tubular body 10, of which Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged view of part A shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged view of part B shown in Fig. 1.

[0010] The embodiment described below is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the shape, dimensions, arrangement, etc. of the components described below may be changed or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. The various components of the catheter 100 of the present invention do not necessarily have to exist independently of one another. It is acceptable for multiple components to be formed as a single member, for one component to be formed from multiple members, for one component to be a part of another component, or for part of one component to overlap with part of another component. In the following description, the distal side of the catheter 100 is also referred to as the tip side, and the proximal side thereof is also referred to as the base side. The tip portion refers to a certain range including the distal end (the most distal end) and its surroundings, and the base end refers to a certain range including the proximal end (the most proximal end) and its surroundings. In addition, in the following, the axial direction of the tubular body 10 may be simply referred to as the axial direction, the radial direction of the tubular body 10 may be simply referred to as the radial direction, and the circumferential direction of the tubular body 10 may be simply referred to as the circumferential direction.

[0011] As shown in any one of FIGS. 1 to 6, a catheter 100 according to this embodiment includes an elongated tubular body 10 having a lumen 20 . The tubular body 10 has a body portion 23 made of resin and a surface lubricating layer 25 formed on the outer surface of the body portion 23 . The main body 23 has thin-diameter portions 27 with thin outer diameters at multiple locations in the axial direction, and the tubular main body 10 has portions with thin outer diameters at multiple locations in the axial direction, reflecting the shape of the thin-diameter portions 27.

[0012] According to this embodiment, the tubular main body 10 has a plurality of portions in the axial direction where the outer diameter is small, reflecting the shape of the small-diameter portion 27. As a result, when inserting the catheter 100 into a body cavity, the contact area between the outer surface of the main body 23 and the inner wall surface of the body cavity can be reduced, thereby reducing the sliding resistance when the catheter 100 slides toward the distal end inside the body cavity. This allows the catheter 100 to be smoothly inserted into the body cavity. Similarly, when removing the catheter 100 from the body cavity, the contact area between the outer surface of the main body 23 and the inner wall surface of the body cavity can be reduced, thereby reducing the sliding resistance when the catheter 100 slides toward the proximal end inside the body cavity. This allows the catheter 100 to be smoothly removed from the body cavity. As described above, according to this embodiment, the catheter 100 can be easily operated.

[0013] The catheter 100 is used, for example, to supply a liquid such as a contrast agent or a medicinal solution into a body cavity via the lumen 20. In this embodiment, the catheter 100 is an active catheter having an operating unit 70, which will be described later. The catheter 100 is configured so that the distal end 10a of the tubular body 10 can be bent by operating the operating unit 70, thereby allowing the catheter 100 to be selectively directed. However, the catheter 100 may be, for example, a non-active catheter that does not have the control section 70.

[0014] The tubular body 10 is a long, hollow tubular member. 3 and 4, the tubular body 10 has a two-layer structure including, for example, an inner layer 22 and a main body portion 23 provided around the inner layer 22, and is configured by laminating the inner layer 22 and the main body portion 23 in this order from the axial center side of the tubular body 10. The majority (majority) of the wall thickness of the tubular body 10 is occupied by the wall thickness of the main body portion 23. The inner layer 22 is the innermost layer of the tubular body 10 and is formed, for example, into a cylindrical shape with a constant wall thickness regardless of the position in the axial direction. The inner layer 22 is open at both the distal and proximal ends of the tubular body 10. In this embodiment, the lumen 20 is defined by the inner circumferential surface of the inner layer 22. The inner layer 22 is made of, for example, a fluorine-based thermoplastic polymer resin. The fluorine-based thermoplastic polymer material is not particularly limited, but may be polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), perfluoroalkoxy fluororesin (PFA), or the like. The lumen 20 is formed continuously from the distal end to the proximal end of the tubular body 10, and opens at both the distal end and the proximal end of the tubular body 10.

[0015] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, the outer peripheral surface of the main body 23 includes a formation region of the thin diameter portion 27 and a non-formation region 54 where the thin diameter portion 27 is not formed, and the thin diameter portion 27 is recessed radially inward from the non-formation region 54. 2 and 5, the tubular main body 10 has, for example, grooves 57 formed in a circumferential shape at a plurality of locations in the axial direction, reflecting the shape of each of the small diameter portions 27. Each groove 57 goes around 360 degrees in the circumferential direction. The thin-diameter portions 27 (grooves 57) may be arranged at equal intervals or at unequal intervals in the axial direction, for example. The dimensions of the thin-diameter portions 27 in the axial direction may be set to be the same or different. The non-forming region 54 includes a region distal to the thin-diameter portion 27 located at the most distal end, a region between adjacent thin-diameter portions 27, and a region proximal to the thin-diameter portion 27 located at the most proximal end. The outer diameter of each non-forming region 54 is substantially constant regardless of its position in the axial direction. Similarly, the outer diameter of each thin-diameter portion 27 is substantially constant regardless of its position in the axial direction. However, the outer diameter of each of the non-forming regions 54 may decrease gradually or in steps from the base end to the tip end of the tubular body 10. Similarly, the outer diameter of each of the small diameter portions 27 may change gradually or in steps in the axial direction. In this case, it is preferable that at least the average value of the outer diameter of the small diameter portions 27 is smaller than the average value of the outer diameter of the non-forming regions 54. Furthermore, the overall outer diameter of the tubular body 10 may be gradually or stepwise reduced, for example, from the base end to the tip of the tubular body 10. Therefore, for example, the overall outer diameter of the small-diameter section 27 may be gradually or stepwise reduced, for example, from the base end to the tip of the tubular body 10.

[0016] In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the lumen 20 in the small diameter portion 27 and the portion other than the small diameter portion 27 (non-formed region 54) is substantially equal to each other. In addition, "substantially equal" means that the difference between the inner diameter of the lumen 20 in the narrow diameter portion 27 and the inner diameter of the lumen 20 in the portion other than the narrow diameter portion 27 (non-formation region 54) is less than ±10% based on the inner diameter of the lumen 20 in the non-formation region 54. This makes it possible to reduce the sliding resistance when inserting a guide wire or other tubular medical device into the lumen 20 of the tubular body 10, for example.

[0017] As described above, in this embodiment, the tubular body 10 has a surface lubricating layer 25 formed on the outer surface of the main body portion 23 . This can further reduce the sliding resistance when the tubular main body 10 slides inside the body cavity. In this embodiment, the surface lubricating layer 25 is formed over the entire area of ​​the thin diameter portion 27 and the non-forming region 54 on the outer surface of the tubular body 10 (main body portion 23). Therefore, the surface lubricating layer 25 has an uneven shape that reflects the shapes of the thin diameter portion 27 and the non-forming region 54. The surface lubricating layer 25 may be selectively formed, for example, on a portion of the tubular body 10 in the longitudinal direction. The material of the surface lubricating layer 25 is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include hydrophilic resin materials such as maleic anhydride polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and copolymers thereof, and polyvinylpyrrolidone.

[0018] The tubular body 10 also includes, for example, a reinforcing layer 51 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The reinforcing layer 51 includes, for example, a braid layer 53 embedded in the main body portion 23 and a wound wire 55 embedded in the main body portion 23. The braid layer 53 and the wound wire 55 each extend from the distal end side to the proximal end 10b of the tubular main body 10. The braid layer 53 and the wound wire 55 are each disposed coaxially with the inner layer 22, for example. The braid layer 53 is formed by braiding a plurality of wires. The braid layer 53 is disposed around the inner layer 22, for example. The first hollow tube 31 and the second hollow tube 32 are arranged, for example, radially outward of the tubular body 10 (at a position farther from the axis of the tubular body 10) than the braid layer 53. The material of the wires constituting the braid layer 53 is preferably a metal material such as stainless steel or tungsten, but may also be a resin material. The winding wire 55 is wound radially outward of the tubular body 10 relative to the reinforcing layer 51 , the first hollow tube 31 and the second hollow tube 32 . The material of the wire constituting the winding wire 55 is preferably a metal material such as stainless steel or tungsten, but may also be a resin material. These shapes of the reinforcing layer 51 are merely examples, and the reinforcing layer 51 is not limited to the above structure.

[0019] The outer diameter of the tubular body 10 (outer diameter of the non-forming region 54) is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.3 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less, and more preferably 0.4 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. The inner diameter of the tubular body 10 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. Furthermore, the total length of the tubular body 10 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 500 mm or more and 2000 mm or less.

[0020] In this embodiment, the catheter 100 further includes an operating wire 40 that extends along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body 10 and can be pulled, and the tip of the operating wire 40 is fixed to the tip portion 10a of the tubular body 10. 3 and 4, the operation wire 40 includes, for example, a first operation wire 41 and a second operation wire 42. The first operation wire 41 and the second operation wire 42 are arranged at positions that are rotationally symmetrical with each other by 180 degrees, for example, with the axial center of the tubular main body 10 as the reference. The first operation wire 41 and the second operation wire 42 are each made of a thin wire such as metal or resin.

[0021] According to this embodiment, by selectively pulling the first operation wire 41 out of the first operation wire 41 and the second operation wire 42, the distal end portion 10a of the tubular main body 10 can be selectively bent in one direction. In this embodiment, the direction in which the tip 10a of the tubular body 10 is bent by pulling the first operating wire 41 and the direction in which the tip 10a of the tubular body 10 is bent by pulling the second operating wire 42 are opposite to each other.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tubular body 10 further includes a first hollow tube 31 and a second hollow tube 32 each embedded in the main body portion 23. A first operating wire 41 is inserted through the first hollow tube 31, and a second operating wire 42 is inserted through the second hollow tube 32. The first hollow tube 31 and the second hollow tube 32 are each a sub-lumen tube, and the inner lumens of these sub-lumen tubes are sub-lumens. That is, each of the operation wires 40 (the first operation wire 41 and the second operation wire 42) is inserted through a sub-lumen. The inner diameters of the first hollow tube 31 and the second hollow tube 32 are smaller than the inner diameter of the lumen 20 .

[0023] The first hollow tube 31 and the second hollow tube 32 may be made of a resin material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), or perfluoroalkoxy fluororesin (PFA).

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, a ring-shaped first marker 61 made of a radiopaque metal material is embedded in the distal end portion 10a of the tubular body 10. The first marker 61 is disposed coaxially with and around the lumen 20 . The first marker 61 is arranged around the small diameter portion 27, for example.

[0025] Furthermore, at the tip portion 10a of the tubular body 10, a ring-shaped second marker 63 (see Figure 2) made of a radiopaque metal material is embedded in a region closer to the base end than the region where the first marker 61 is embedded. The second marker 63 is disposed coaxially with and around the lumen 20 . The second markers 63 are arranged, for example, around the periphery of the braid layer 53 .

[0026] For example, the first marker 61 and the second marker 63 have the same inner diameter. For example, the first marker 61 and the second marker 63 have the same outer diameter. However, for example, the outer diameter of the first marker 61 may be larger than the outer diameter of the second marker 63.

[0027] The tip of the first operating wire 41 and the tip of the first hollow tube 31 are fixed to the center of the first marker 61 in the axial direction by, for example, soldering or welding. The tip of the second operating wire 42 and the tip of the second hollow tube 32 are fixed to the center of the first marker 61 in the axial direction by, for example, soldering or welding. Therefore, the distal end of the first operating wire 41 and the distal end of the second operating wire 42 are arranged at the same position (approximately the same position) in the axial direction of the tubular main body 10. However, the distal end of the first operating wire 41 and the distal end of the first hollow tube 31 may be fixed to, for example, the base end of the first marker 61. Similarly, the distal end of the second operating wire 42 and the distal end of the second hollow tube 32 are fixed to, for example, the base end of the first marker 61.

[0028] Furthermore, the distal end portion of the first operating wire 41 and the distal end portion of the second operating wire 42 are fixed to the first marker 61, and are thereby indirectly fixed to the distal end portion 10a of the tubular main body 10.

[0029] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the first operating wire 41 and the second operating wire 42 are routed through a portion of the tubular body 10 radially outward of the arrangement area of ​​the second marker 63, from a region closer to the base end than the second marker 63 to a region closer to the tip end than the second marker 63. More specifically, the first hollow tube 31 and the second hollow tube 32 are also routed through a portion of the tubular body 10 radially outside the arrangement area of ​​the second marker 63, from a region closer to the base end than the second marker 63 to a region closer to the tip end than the second marker 63.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the catheter 100 has a hub 91 provided at the proximal end of the tubular body 10. The hub 91 has a connecting portion 93 for inserting an injector (syringe) (not shown) from the base end of the hub 91. The proximal end of the tubular body 10 is inserted into and fixed to the distal end of the hub 91. This allows the lumen 20 inside the tubular body 10 and the internal space of the hub 91 to communicate with each other. A main body case 70a of the operation unit 70, which will be described below, is connected and fixed to the tip end of the hub 91.

[0031] 1, the catheter 100 includes an operating section 70 for, for example, bending the distal end portion 10a of the tubular body 10. The operating section 70 can be used to selectively pull either the first operating wire 41 or the second operating wire 42.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 70 includes, for example, a main body case 70a and a dial operation unit 74 that is rotatably supported on the main body case 70a. The base end 10b of the tubular body 10 is guided through the inside of the main body case 70a toward the base end of the main body case 70a, and is inserted into and fixed to the tip end of the hub 91. The rotation axis of the dial operation unit 74 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the tubular main body 10 inside the main body case 70a.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, at least a portion of the dial operation unit 74 is exposed to the outside of the main body case 70a, allowing the operator to operate the catheter 100 from outside the main body case 70a.

[0034] The operation section 70 also has a holding mechanism 75 (see FIG. 1) that holds the operation wire 40 in a state where it is pulled, for example. By operating the holding mechanism 75, the bending operation of the catheter 100 is restricted, and the shape of the tip portion 10a of the tubular body 10 is maintained in an extended state or a bent state.

[0035] The first operating wire 41 and the second operating wire 42 are each led out from the tubular main body 10 inside the main body case 70a. The base end of the first operation wire 41 is wound around the dial operation unit 74 by, for example, one and a half turns, and the base end of the first operation wire 41 is fixed to the dial operation unit 74. Similarly, the base end of the second operation wire 42 is wound around the dial operation unit 74 by, for example, one and a half turns, and the base end of the second operation wire 42 is fixed to the dial operation unit 74. The winding direction of the first operation wire 41 and the winding direction of the second operation wire 42 around the rotary member 71 are opposite to each other. When the dial operation unit 74, which is fixed to the dial operation unit 74, is rotated in one direction by rotating the dial operation unit 74, the first operation wire 41 of the first operation wire 41 and the second operation wire 42 is selectively pulled toward the base end. Furthermore, when the dial operation unit 74 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned one direction by rotating the dial operation unit 74, the second operation wire 42 of the first operation wire 41 and the second operation wire 42 is selectively pulled toward the base end side.

[0036] More specifically, when an operation is performed to selectively pull the first operating wire 41 toward the base end, the distal end portion 10a of the tubular main body 10 is bent in one direction (hereinafter referred to as the first direction) as shown in Fig. 7(a). More specifically, tension is applied to the first operating wire 41, and the distal end portion 10a of the tubular main body 10 is bent toward the first hollow tube 31, through which the first operating wire 41 is inserted, with the axis of the tubular main body 10 as the reference. Furthermore, when an operation is performed to selectively pull the second operating wire 42 toward the base end, the distal end portion 10a of the tubular main body 10 is bent in a second direction (the opposite direction to the first direction) as shown in Fig. 7(b). More specifically, tension is applied to the second operating wire 42, and the distal end portion 10a of the tubular main body 10 is bent toward the second hollow tube 32 through which the second operating wire 42 is inserted, with the axis of the tubular main body 10 as the reference. Here, for example, the first direction and the second direction are directions included in the same plane.

[0037] Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to selectively bend the tip portion 10a of the tubular main body 10 in a first direction, and to selectively bend the tip portion 10a of the tubular main body 10 in a second direction.

[0038] Here, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 to 6, the thin diameter portion 27 includes, for example, a tip side thin diameter portion 28 that is arranged further tip side than the second marker 63, and a base side thin diameter portion 29 that is arranged further base side than the second marker 63. As an example, the number of distal end narrow diameter sections 28 is 1. That is, in the present embodiment, the catheter 100 includes two markers (a first marker 61 and a second marker 63) provided at the distal end 10a of the tubular body 10, and the number of narrow diameter sections 27 (in the present embodiment, the distal end narrow diameter section 28) that are located distally of the marker located furthest from the base end (in the present embodiment, the second marker 63) is 1. As a result, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), by pulling the operating wire 40, the distal end portion 10a can be bent mainly starting from the small diameter portion 27 (tip side small diameter portion 28). Therefore, by appropriately setting the formation position of the tip side small diameter portion 28 in the main body portion 23 and the dimensions of the tip side small diameter portion 28, the distal end portion 10a can be bent more reliably into an intended shape. In other words, variation in the bending position of the distal end portion 10a can be suppressed. Therefore, the branch selectivity of the catheter 100 at each branching portion of a body cavity (blood vessel, etc.) is improved, and the operability of the catheter 100 can be further improved. However, for example, in the present invention, the catheter 100 may be provided with three markers provided on the distal end portion 10a of the tubular body 10, with only one thin-diameter portion 27 located distal to the marker located furthest from the base end. In this case as well, when a traction operation is performed on the operating unit 70, the distal end portion 10a can be bent mainly starting from the thin-diameter portion 27 (tip-side thin-diameter portion 28). In the axial direction, the distance (D2 shown in FIG. 2) between the most distal end of the catheter 100 and the proximal end of the distal small diameter section 28 is preferably, for example, 5 mm or more and 25 mm or less, more preferably 10 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

[0039] On the other hand, the number of base end side thin diameter portions 29 is, for example, plural, and each base end side thin diameter portion 29 is formed intermittently in the longitudinal direction of the tubular body 10, for example, from the base end side of the second marker 63 to the base end portion 10b. In other words, the multiple base end side thin diameter portions 29 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the axial direction, and non-formation regions 54 are interposed between each base end side thin diameter portion 29. The distance (D3 shown in FIG. 5) between the adjacent proximal narrow diameter portions 29 in the axial direction is, for example, preferably 250 μm or more and 750 μm or less, and more preferably 400 μm or more and 600 μm or less. In the present embodiment, as an example, the base-end thin diameter portions 29 are periodically arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction. The base-end thin diameter portions 29 are formed to have substantially the same dimensions and shapes. Therefore, the distances D3 between the base-end thin diameter portions 29 are substantially the same. However, for example, the base-end thin diameter portions 29 may be arranged at unequal intervals in the axial direction. The base-end thin diameter portions 29 may be formed to have different dimensions and shapes. Therefore, the distances D3 between the base-end thin diameter portions 29 may be different.

[0040] In the axial direction, it is preferable that the distance (D1 shown in Figure 2) between the tip of the base end thin diameter section 29 that is located furthest to the tip of each base end thin diameter section 29 and the base end of the tip end thin diameter section 28 is, for example, 10 mm or more.

[0041] The dimension of tip-side narrow diameter portion 28 in the axial direction (L1 shown in FIG. 3) is preferably equal to or greater than the outer diameter (R1 shown in FIG. 4) of tip-side narrow diameter portion 28. More specifically, the dimension L1 of tip-side narrow diameter portion 28 in the axial direction is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and more preferably 2 mm or more and 4 mm or less. The outer diameter R1 of the distal end narrow diameter portion 28 is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 600 μm or more and 1100 μm or less, and more preferably 700 μm or more and 1000 μm or less.

[0042] The axial dimension of each base end narrow diameter portion 29 (L2 shown in FIG. 5) is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 250 μm or more and 750 μm or less, and more preferably 400 μm or more and 600 μm or less. The outer diameter (R2 shown in FIG. 6) of each base end thin portion 29 is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 600 μm or more and 1100 μm or less, and more preferably 700 μm or more and 1000 μm or less.

[0043] Here, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the difference in outer diameter between the thin-diameter portion 27 (in the present embodiment, the tip-side thin-diameter portion 28 and the base-side thin-diameter portion 29) and the portion other than the thin-diameter portion 27 (non-forming region 54) is 10 μm or more and 50 μm or less. By doing so, it is possible to effectively reduce the sliding resistance when inserting the tubular body 10 into a body cavity or another tubular body.

[0044] In this embodiment, the method for forming the multiple thin-diameter sections 27 is not particularly limited, but for example, the thin-diameter sections 27 can be formed by alternately arranging relatively thin-diameter resin tubes (not shown) and relatively large-diameter resin tubes (not shown) in the axial direction and joining these resin tubes to each other by heat fusion. However, in addition to this method, other methods for forming multiple thin-diameter portions 27 include a method of cutting a portion of the surface of the main body portion 23 of the tubular body 10 by laser processing or the like, depending on the desired number and dimensions of the thin-diameter portions 27, and a method of transferring unevenness by fine processing such as nanoimprinting.

[0045] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various other configurations can also be adopted.

[0046] The present embodiment encompasses the following technical ideas. (1) A long tubular body having a lumen, The tubular body has a resin body portion and a surface lubricating layer formed on the outer surface of the body portion, the main body portion has a plurality of small diameter portions in an axial direction, the small diameter portions having a small outer diameter; The catheter has a plurality of portions in the axial direction where the outer diameter is reduced, reflecting the shape of the reduced diameter portion. (2) The catheter according to (1), wherein the inner diameter of the lumen in the thin-diameter portion and the portion other than the thin-diameter portion are substantially equal to each other. (3) Two or three markers are provided at the distal end of the tubular body; The catheter according to (1) or (2), wherein the number of the thinned portions arranged on the distal side of the marker arranged on the most proximal side is one. (4) A manipulation wire extending along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body and capable of being pulled is provided, The catheter according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the distal end of the operating wire is fixed to the distal end portion of the tubular body. (5) The catheter according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the difference in outer diameter between the small diameter portion and the portion other than the small diameter portion is 10 μm or more and 50 μm or less. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10 Tubular body 10a Tip 10b Base end 20 lumens 22 Inner layer 23 Main body 25 Surface lubricant layer 27 Thin section 28 Thin tip section 29 Proximal narrow section 31 1st hollow tube 32 2nd hollow tube 41 First operating wire 42 Second operating wire 51 Reinforcement layer 53 Braid Layer 54 Non-formation area 55 turns of wire 57 Groove 61 First Marker 63 Second Marker 70 Operation section 70a Main body case 71 Rotating member 74 Dial operation section 75 Retention mechanism 91 Hub 93 Connecting part 100 catheters

Claims

1. an elongated tubular body having a lumen; two or three markers provided at the distal end of the tubular body; an operating wire extending along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body and capable of being pulled; The tubular body has an inner layer which is the innermost layer of the tubular body, a resin body portion provided around the outer periphery of the inner layer, and a surface lubricating layer formed on the outer surface of the body portion, the main body portion has a plurality of small diameter portions each having a small outer diameter, the tubular main body has a plurality of portions in the axial direction where the outer diameter of the tubular main body is reduced, reflecting the shape of the reduced diameter portion; the two or three markers include a first marker disposed most distally and a second marker disposed most proximally; a distal end of the operating wire is fixed to a distal end portion of the tubular body via the first marker; the plurality of thin diameter portions include a distal thin diameter portion that is the thin diameter portion disposed between the first marker and the second marker in the axial direction, and a proximal thin diameter portion that is the thin diameter portion disposed on the proximal side of the second marker, the number of the distal end side thin diameter portions included in the plurality of thin diameter portions is one, while the number of the proximal end side thin diameter portions included in the plurality of thin diameter portions is two or more, A catheter in which the distance in the axial direction between the tip of the proximal thin section that is located most distally of the two or more proximal thin sections and the proximal end of the distal thin section is greater than the distance between the proximal thin sections that are located adjacent to each other.

2. 2. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the lumen in the narrowed diameter portion and the lumen in the portion other than the narrowed diameter portion are substantially equal to each other.

3. 3. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the difference in outer diameter between the small-diameter portion and the portion other than the small-diameter portion is 10 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

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