Flexible vascular graft

• US 20010025195A1
• Filed: 12/01/2000
• Published: 09/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Endologix
• Original Assignee: Endologix
• Inventors: Shaolian, Samuel M., Zeng, Frank M.
• Application Number:
  US09/728,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20010025195A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/856 Single tubular stent with a side portal passage
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9661 the proximal portion of the stent or stent-graft is released first
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/067 modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/072 Encapsulated stents, e.g. wire or whole stent embedded in lining
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/828 Means for connecting a plurality of stents allowing flexibility of the whole structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/005 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0058 soldered or brazed or welded
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

Disclosed is a tubular endoluminal vascular prosthesis, useful in treating, for example, an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The prosthesis comprises a self-expandable wire support structure having a tubular main body support and first and second branch supports. The support structure may include sliding links to permit flexibility while maintaining patency of the central lumen. The branch supports may articulate with the main body to permit the branches to pivot laterally from the axis of the main body throughout a substantial range of motion.

Claims

1. A tubular wire support for a bifurcated endoluminal prosthesis, said wire support comprising:

a main body support structure having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen extending along a longitudinal axis therethrough;

a first branch support structure having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen therethrough, wherein the distal end of the first branch support structure is pivotably connected to the proximal end of the main body support structure;

a second branch support structure having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen extending therethrough, wherein the distal end of the second branch support structure is pivotably connected to the proximal end of the main body support structure; and

at least two slidable links in the main body support structure to permit flexing of the main body.

2. The tubular wire support of

claim 1

, further comprising a tubular sheath on the wire support.

3. The tubular wire support of

claim 2

, wherein the sheath comprises a PTFE sleeve surrounding at least a central portion of the wire support.

4. The tubular wire support of

claim 1

, wherein the main body support structure and the first and second branch support structure are self-expandable from a radially collapsed state to a radially expanded state.

5. The tubular wire support of

claim 1

, wherein the wire in each support structure comprises a series of proximal bends, a series of distal bends, and a series of struts connecting the proximal and distal bends to form a tubular segment.

6. The tubular wire support of

claim 5

, wherein each tubular segment comprises from about 4 proximal bends to about 12 proximal bends.

7. The tubular wire support of

claim 1

, wherein the first and second branch supports structures are pivotably attached to the main body support structure.

8. A tubular wire support for combination with a sheath to produce a bifurcated endoluminal prosthesis, said tubular wire support comprising:

a main body support structure having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen extending therethrough and at least a first and second axially adjacent zig-zag tubular segments;

a first branch support structure having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen therethrough connected to the main body support structure; and

a second branch support structure having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen extending therethrough, connected to the main body support structure, wherein the first and second segments are joined to each other by a plurality of sliding links.

9. The tubular wire support of

claim 8

, wherein the main body support structure and the first and second branch support structure are self-expandable from a radially collapsed state to a radially expanded state.

10. A tubular wire support as in

claim 9

, wherein the tubular wire support has an expansion ratio of at least about 1:

4.

11. A flexible self expandable graft, comprising:

a tubular main body support structure having a proximal end and a distal end, the tubular body comprising a first tubular segment attached to a second tubular segment;

a tubular polymeric sleeve surrounding at least a portion of the graft;

wherein each of the first and second tubular segments comprise a plurality of proximal bends and distal bends connected by struts, and the first segment comprises at least one more proximal bend than the second segment.

12. An articulating bifurcation graft as in

claim 11

, further comprising at least a first and second sliding link between the first and second tubular segments.

13. An endoluminal prosthesis, comprising:

a tubular wire support having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen extending therethrough;

the wire support comprising at least a first and a second axially adjacent tubular segment, each tubular segment comprising a series of proximal and distal bends; and

at least two sliding links between the first tubular segment and the second tubular segment.

14. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 13

, comprising at least four sliding links between the first and second segments.

15. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 14

, comprising at least four segments.

16. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 13

, comprising a series of struts connecting the proximal bends and distal bends within a segment to form a tubular segment wall, wherein at least some of the struts are substantially linear.

17. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 16

, wherein the sliding link comprises a proximal bend or distal bend on a first segment slidably engaged with a strut on an adjacent segment.

18. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 13

, wherein each segment comprises from about 4 proximal bends to about 12 proximal bends.

19. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 13

, having at least a proximal segment, an intermediate segment and a distal segment, wherein the prosthesis is expandable from a reduced cross section to an expanded cross section.

20. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 19

, wherein at least a portion of the proximal segment is larger in cross section than the central segment when the prosthesis is in the expanded cross section.

21. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 13

, further comprising a polymeric layer on the wire support.

22. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 21

, wherein the layer comprises a tubular PTFE sleeve surrounding at least a portion of the prosthesis.

23. A multizone endoluminal prosthesis, comprising:

a tubular wire support having a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen extending therethrough;

the wire support comprising at least a first and a second axially adjacent tubular segments, each tubular segment comprising a series of proximal and distal bends;

wherein the first tubular segment has a different number of proximal bends than the second tubular segment.

24. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 23

, wherein a proximal end of the prosthesis is self expandable to a greater diameter than a central region of the prosthesis.

25. A multizone endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 23

, further comprising a sliding link on at least one of the proximal bends.

26. A multizone endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 23

, further comprising an eye on at least one of the distal bends.

27. An endoluminal prosthesis, comprising an elongate flexible wire, formed into a plurality of axially adjacent tubular segments spaced along an axis, each tubular segment comprising a zig-zag section of the wire, having a plurality of proximal bends and distal bends, at least one of the plurality of proximal bends and plurality of distal bends having loops thereon, with the wire continuing between each adjacent tubular segment, wherein the prosthesis is radially compressible into a first, reduced cross sectional configuration for implantation into a body lumen, and self expandable to a second, enlarged cross sectional configuration at a treatment site in a body lumen, and wherein at least some of the bends in one tubular segment are slidably connected to at least some of the wall sections in the adjacent tubular segment.

28. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 27

, comprising at least three segments formed from said wire.

29. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 28

, further comprising an outer tubular sleeve surrounding at least a portion of the prosthesis.

30. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 29

, wherein the sleeve further comprises at least one lateral perfusion port extending therethrough.

31. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 28

, wherein the prosthesis has a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one of the proximal end and distal end are expandable to a larger diameter than a central section of the prosthesis in an unconstrained expansion.

32. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 27

, wherein the prosthesis has an expansion ratio of at least about 1:

4.

33. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 32

, wherein the prosthesis has an expansion ratio of at least about 1:

5.

34. An endoluminal prosthesis as in

claim 27

, wherein the prosthesis has an expanded diameter of at least about 20 mm in an unconstrained expansion, and the prosthesis is implantable using a catheter no greater than about 20 French.

35. A prosthesis as in

claim 34

, wherein the prosthesis has an expanded diameter of at least about 25 mm, and is implantable on a delivery device having a diameter of no more than about 20 French.