Table 1.
Physicochemical properties of the used model substances/drug.
Figure 1.
Schematic of the model coronary artery pathway.
Model adapted from [17] with a) polymethacrylate frame, b) coronary guiding catheter, c) tube, asterisk marking balloon resting position, arrows marking the insertion point of the balloon through a hemostatic valve (continuous line) and the exiting point after passage of the model (broken line); measures in inches.
Figure 2.
Representative environmental scanning electron microscopic images of a folded paclitaxel-coated balloon in different resolutions.
Figure 3.
Representative light microscopic image of the coating (A) and photograph of a separated balloon foil of a fluorescein sodium-coated balloon after dry expansion (B), broken lines indicating the location of the crests of the folds in the deflated state.
Figure 4.
Drug transfer rate without simulated passage.
Substance transfer from coated balloon to the gel during 1 = fluorescein sodium, RHO = rhodamine B, TRI = triamterene, PTX = paclitaxel, means of n = 3±SD.
Figure 5.
Drug transfer rate after simulated passage.
Substance fraction transferred to the gel (A) and residual substance fraction on balloon (B) after advancement of the coated balloon through the model coronary pathway, FLU = fluorescein sodium, RHO = rhodamine B, TRI = triamterene, PTX = paclitaxel, time in min indicating the time span the balloon was in contact with the perfusion liquid phosphate buffered saline pH 7.4 prior to expansion into the gel for 1 min, means of n = 3±SD.
Figure 6.
Visualization of drug distribution after transfer.
Representative photographic (A–D) or fluorescence microscopic (E) images of gel films after 1 min expansion of rhodamine B-coated (A, B), fluorescein sodium-coated (C, D) or triamterene-coated (E) balloons into the film without (A, C) prior incubation or after advancement through the model coronary artery pathway including perfusion with phosphate buffered saline pH 7.4 for 1 min (B, D, E), braces and respective numbers indicating the number of coils of the gel film (first coil in direct contact with balloon).