Disclosed is a deployment catheter for deploying a tubular endoluminal
vascular prosthesis, useful in treating, for example, an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
The deployment catheter includes a proximal tubular section and a distal tubular
section which are axially movable in opposite directions to deploy a prosthesis.
A central core extends throughout the proximal tubular section and into the distal
tubular section. A reinforcing structure is carried by the central core, spanning
the junction between the proximal tubular section and distal tubular section, to
improve flexibility characteristics of the catheter. In one embodiment, the proximal
tubular section and/or distal tubular section are rotationally linked to the central core.