What is a Cope loop?
Dr. Constantin Cope is one of the pioneers of interventional radiology and is credited with some of the field’s most ingenious inventions. One of these is the Cope loop, which is a pigtail catheter with a locking mechanism to prevent accidental displacement. A small string runs through the center of the catheter and is fixed to the distal curved end. The other end of the string exits the hub of the catheter. The curl on the catheter is straightened out as it is advanced over a guidewire. After the wire is removed, the string is pulled and tied, which causes the end of the catheter to curl and lock. The fixed diameter of the locked coil prevents migration. To remove the catheter, the hub and string are cut, releasing the distal lock.
