Prosthesis (i.e. – artificial body members) – parts thereof – or ai – Arterial prosthesis – Stent structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-07
2003-05-20
Truong, Kevin T. (Department: 3731)
Prosthesis (i.e., artificial body members), parts thereof, or ai
Arterial prosthesis
Stent structure
C623S001160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565600
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an expandable intraluminal stent for use within a body passageway or duct and, more particularly, improved, flexible, expandable intraluminal vascular stents which are particularly useful for repairing blood vessels narrowed or occluded by disease; and a method and apparatus for implanting expandable intraluminal stents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Intraluminal endovascular grafting (“stenting”) has been demonstrated by experimentation to present a possible alternative to convention vascular surgery. Intraluminal endovascular grafting involves the percutaneous insertion into a blood vessel of a tubular prosthetic graft and its delivery via a catheter to the desired location within the vascular system. Advantages of this method over conventional vascular surgery include obviating the need for surgically exposing, incising, removing, replacing, or bypassing the defective blood vessel.
Structures which have previously been used as intraluminal vascular stents have included coiled stainless steel springs; helically would coil springs manufactured from an expandable heat-sensitive material; and expanding stainless steel stents formed of stainless steel wire a zig-zag pattern. In general, the foregoing structures have one major disadvantage in common. Insofar as these structures must be delivered to the desired location within a given body passageway in a collapsed state, in order to pass through the body passageway, there is no effective control over the final, expanded configuration of each structure. For example, the expansion or a particular coiled spring-type graft or “stent” is predetermined by the spring constant and modulus of elasticity of the particular material utilized to manufacture the coiled spring structure. These same factors predetermine the amount of expansion of collapsed stents formed of stainless steel wire in a zig-zag pattern. In the case of intraluminal grafts, or prostheses, formed of a heat sensitive material which expand upon heating, the amount of expansion is likewise predetermined by the heat expansion characteristics of the particular alloy utilized in the manufacture of the intraluminal grafts.
Thus, once the foregoing types of intraluminal “stents” are expanded at the desired location within a body passageway, such as within an artery or vein, the expanded size of the stent cannot be changed. If the diameter of the desired body passageway has been miscalculated, an undersized stent might not expand enough to contact the interior surface of the body passageway, so as to be secured thereto. It may then migrate away from the desired location within the body passageway.
Another alternative to conventional vascular surgery has been percutaneous balloon dilation of elastic vascular stenoses, or blockages, through use of a catheter mounted angioplasty balloon. In this procedure, the angioplasty balloon is inflated within the stenosed vessel, or body passageway, in order to shear and disrupt the wall components of the vessel to obtain an enlarged lumen. With respect to arterial atherosclerotic lesions, the relatively incompressible plaque remains unaltered, while the more elastic medial and adventitial layers of the body passageway stretch around the plaque. This process produces dissection, or a splitting and tearing, of the body passageway wall layers, wherein the intima, or internal surface of the artery or body passageway, suffers fissuring. This dissection forms a “flap” of underlying tissue which may reduce the blood flow through the lumen, or block the lumen. Typically, the distending intraluminal pressure within the body passageway can hold the disrupted layer or flap, in place. If the intimal flap created by the balloon dilation procedure is not maintained in place against the expanded intima, the intimal flap can fold down into the lumen and close off the lumen, or may even become detached and enter the body passageway. When the intimal flap closes off the body passageway, immediate surgery is necessary to correct this problem.
Although the balloon dilation procedure is typically conducted in the catheterization lab of a hospital, because of the foregoing problem, it is always necessary to have a surgeon on call should the intimal flap block the blood vessel or body passageway. Further, because of the possibility of the intimal flap tearing away from the blood vessel and blocking the lumen, balloon dilations cannot be performed upon certain critical body passageways, such as the left main coronary artery, which leads into the heart. If an intimal flap formed by a balloon dilation procedure abruptly comes down and closes off a critical body passageway, such as the left main coronary artery, the patient could die before any surgical procedures could be performed.
Additional disadvantages associated with balloon dilation of elastic vascular stenoses is that many fail because of elastic recoil of the stenotic lesion. This usually occurs due to a high fibrocollagenous content in the lesion and is sometimes due to certain mechanical characteristics of the area to be dilated. Thus, although the body passageway may initially be successfully expanded by a balloon dilation procedure, subsequent, early restenosis can occur due to the recoil of the body passageway wall which decreases the size of the previously expanded lumen of the body passageway. For example, stenoses of the renal artery at the ostium are known to be refractory to balloon dilation because the dilating forces are applied to the aortic wall rather than to the renal artery itself. Vascular stenoses caused by neointimal fibrosis, such as those seen in dialysis-access fistulas, have proved to be difficult to dilate, requiring high dilating pressures and larger balloon diameters. Similar difficulties have been observed in angioplasties of graft-artery anastomotic strictures and postendarterectomy recurrent stenoses. Percutaneous angioplasty of Takayasu arteritis and neurofibromatosis arterial stenoses may show poor initial response and recurrence which is believed due to the fibrotic nature of these lesions.
This invention relates to intraluminal stent implants for maintaining patency of a body lumen in humans and animals and especially to such implants for use in blood vessels. The present invention comprises an improvement to balloon expandable stents which are generally cylindrical in shape and have a plurality of metal elements joined to permit flexing of the cylindrical body along the longitudinal axis of the body, whereby the stent can conform to a curved body lumen. One such stent has metal elements made up of wire loops in a wound structure which allows individual loops to move with respect to one another. When a stent with this structure is expanded in a body lumen, the winding can follow curves in the body lumen. Typical of the articulation used to join stents are the stents disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,733,665 and 4,776,337 issued to Palmaz which are incorporated herein by reference.
Another such stent is a Wiktor-type (Medtronic, Inc.) stent improved by having metal elements made up of individual stent segments joined together by flexible members such that the members will allow the stent segments to adapt to curved body lumen. Such stents can be deployed in a body lumen by means appropriate to their design. For example, in the case of the Wiktor-type stent, it can be fitted over the inflatable element of a balloon catheter and expanded by the balloon to force the stent into contact with the body lumen. Or, for example, in the case of the Palmaz and Palmaz-Schatz (Johnson & Johnson Interventional Systems) stents, can be mounted onto a catheter which holds the stent as it is delivered through the body lumen and then releases the stent and allows it to expand into contact with the body lumen. This deployment is effected after the stent has been introduced percutaneously, transported transluminally and positioned at a desired location by means of the catheter.
An important use of these stents is found in situations where part of the vess
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