This article explains, in educational terms, 0.014 and 0.018 cto guidewires — how the technology works and where it fits. INVAMED offers a comprehensive catheter and guidewire portfolio spanning sheaths, guidewires, guiding and support catheters, microcatheters, and retrieval devices. As a medical device manufacturer, INVAMED develops technologies in this area; the information here is educational and not medical advice.
Background: Endovascular, Neurovascular and Urological Access and Delivery
Device characteristics such as diameter, length, tip shape, coating, and support are matched to the anatomy and task, and are selected by the treating clinician. A guidewire is a thin, steerable wire that a clinician advances first to establish a path, over which catheters and other devices are then delivered. Catheters and guidewires are the working tools of minimally invasive procedures, used to gain vascular access and navigate to a target inside the body.
0.014 and 0.018 inch CTO Guidewires
Smaller-diameter guidewires such as 0.014 inch and 0.018 inch are used for fine navigation and for crossing challenging lesions including chronic total occlusions (CTOs). CTO-focused tip designs are intended to help negotiate hard, resistant occlusions. InWIRE 0.014" & 0.018" CTO / Recanalization Guidewires provide these diameters with CTO-focused tip designs. Selection of a CTO wire and its tip characteristics is made by the interventionalist based on lesion morphology.
Design and Technical Notes
INVAMED organizes its catheter and guidewire portfolio by function — access, crossing, support, delivery, and retrieval — across sizes, tip shapes, and coatings. Tip shape, coating, core material, and support characteristics are selected to fit the specific navigation, crossing, or delivery task. Product specifications and dimension ranges are provided in INVAMED documentation and reflect device design rather than guaranteed clinical outcomes.
Key Considerations
- Sheath inner and outer diameters carry different implications for device compatibility and access, and should be confirmed in product documentation.
- Device sizing across French, inch, and centimeter units must be matched to the vessel, the access site, and the devices being delivered, as determined by the clinician.
- For a device under active study such as the GuideX guide extension in the GUIDEX_FR trial (NCT06009757), any comparative claims are for the trial to establish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these catheter and guidewire devices CE marked?
Device availability and regulatory status vary by country. Please contact INVAMED or your authorized local distributor for current regulatory information applicable to your region.
Who selects the appropriate catheter or guidewire?
A trained clinician selects devices based on the anatomy and procedural task; this content is educational and not a treatment recommendation.
What is the GuideX guide extension catheter?
GuideX is INVAMED's mother-and-child guide extension catheter, which is the subject of a randomized clinical trial versus the Launcher guiding catheter in PCI (GUIDEX_FR, NCT06009757).
Clinical and Technical Context
The GuideX Guide Extension Catheter uses a mother-and-child design and is the subject of a randomized clinical trial versus the Launcher guiding catheter in PCI (GUIDEX_FR, NCT06009757). All INVAMED catheter and guidewire devices are intended for use by trained clinicians under appropriate imaging guidance and per the IFU. Sheath choice and size are matched to the access and delivery requirements by the clinician. Sheath inner and outer diameters carry different implications for device compatibility and access, and should be confirmed in product documentation. Device selection for neurovascular access is directed by the neurointerventionalist. Coating, core, diameter, and length are selected by the clinician for the specific task. Core selection is made by the clinician based on the navigation and support needs of the case. Device sizing across French, inch, and centimeter units must be matched to the vessel, the access site, and the devices being delivered, as determined by the clinician.
Related on INVAMED
- Comprehensive Catheter & Guidewire Systems — product category
- How does an introducer sheath work?
- Introducer sheath or Guiding catheter? A Technical Comparison
- 0.035 and 0.038 inch Guidewires: How It Works and Why It Matters
Important Disclaimer
This content is educational and technical in nature and must not be interpreted as medical advice or as a promise of any clinical outcome. Individual results depend on many factors and can only be evaluated by a treating physician. Figures attributed to INVAMED reflect manufacturer or published data and are not a guarantee of results. All INVAMED devices are to be used by trained clinicians per the approved IFU, and availability is subject to local regulatory status.
Reviewed by the INVAMED Medical Affairs team. Content is educational and technical in nature.