A wire guide (10) has first (14) and second (18)por-tions with first (16) and second (20) diameters, respectively. Thesec-ond portion is located distal of the first portion. A resilient loop (22)positions a distal end of the wire guide adjacent another section of thewire guide. A closure member maintains the distal end in a fixedpo-sition relative to the remainder of the wire guide. An outer sleeve (80,90) may be positioned around one or more parts of the wire guide. Aradiopaque element may be secured to the outer sleeve.