A guidewire apparatus for use during percutaneous catheter interventions, such
as angioplasty or stent deployment. A protection element comprising a filter or
an occluder is mounted near the distal end of a steerable guidewire, which guides
a therapeutic catheter. The guidewire apparatus comprises a hollow shaft movably
disposed about a core wire and, optionally, a slippery liner interfitted there
between. The shaft and core wire control relative displacement of the ends of the
protection element, causing transformation of the protection element between a
deployed configuration and a collapsed configuration.
