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In medicine, a catheter is a thin tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are MedicalDevices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. Catheters are manufactured for specific applications, such as cardiovascular, urological, gastrointestinal, neurovascular and ophthalmic procedures. The process of inserting a catheter is Catheterization. Catheters can be inserted into a BodyCavity, duct, or vessel, Brain, Skin or adipose tissue. Functionally, they allow drainage, administration of Fluids or Gases, access by surgical instruments, and also perform a wide variety of other tasks depending on the type of catheter. Special types of catheters, also called probes, are used in preclinical or clinical research for sampling of lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds, protein-bound and unbound drugs, neurotransmitters, peptides and Proteins, Antibodies, nanoparticles and nanocarriers, Enzymes and vesicles.[from Wikipedia]
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