Stent

• US 20020095207A1
• Filed: 01/15/2002
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitaoka, Takashi, Moriuchi, Yousuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,431,732 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91575 connected peak to trough

Abstract

A stent includes a plurality of annular expanding members arranged a predetermined distance apart from each other in the axial direction of the stent and each formed of a waved element, and a plurality of waved connecting members connecting the ridges and/or bottoms of the waved elements of adjacent annular expanding members. The plural annular expanding members are arranged in the axial direction of the stent such that no substantial phase difference exists between the waves of the waved element. Each waved connecting member has a plurality of waves including a wave positioned in the clearance between the adjacent annular expanding members and having an amplitude larger than that of the other wave. Also disclosed is a stent in which the expanding member is formed of a waved element arranged to surround spirally the longitudinal axis of the stent.

Claims

1. A stent formed to be tubular as a whole, having a first outer diameter capable of insertion into a tubular lumen of a living body, and capable of expansion to have a second outer diameter larger than said first outer diameter when an expanding force directed outward in a radial direction is imparted within the stent, comprising a plurality of annular expanding members arranged a predetermined distance apart from each other in an axial direction of the stent and each formed of a waved element;

and a plurality of waved connecting members connecting ridges and/or bottoms of the waved elements of adjacent annular expanding members;

wherein said plurality of annular expanding members are arranged in an axial direction of the stent such that no substantial phase difference exists in the waves of the waved element, and each of the waved connecting members has a plurality of waves including a wave formed in the clearance between adjacent annular expanding members and having an amplitude larger than that of the other wave.

2. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the ridges of the waved elements of the adjacent annular expanding members are connected to each other and the bottoms of the waved elements of the adjacent annular expanding members are connected to each other by the waved connecting members in respect of all the annular expanding members.

3. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the width of each of said waved connecting members is not larger than ½

of the width of the waved element.

4. The stent according to claim 3, wherein the width of each of said waved connecting members falls within a range of between 0.03 mm and 0.08 mm.

5. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the largest wave included in each of said waved connecting members is larger than the width of the ridge or bottom of the waved element under the state that the stent has said first outer diameter.

6. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the total length of said waved connecting member is at least 1.3 times as much as the straight distance between the ridges or between the bottoms of the waved elements of the adjacent annular expanding members.

7. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the width of the clearance between adjacent annular expanding members falls within a range of between 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm.

8. A stent to be formed tubular as a whole, having a first outer diameter capable of insertion into a tubular lumen of a living body, and capable of expansion to have a second outer diameter larger than said first outer diameter when an expanding force directed outward in a radial direction is imparted within the stent, comprising an expanding member formed of a waved element arranged to spirally surround a longitudinal axis of the stent;

and a plurality of waved connecting members connecting ridges and/or bottoms of the waved elements of said expanding member;

wherein said waved element has ridges and bottoms periodically appearing in a manner to cross a circumferential direction of said stent, and each of the waved connecting members has a plurality of waves including a wave formed in a clearance between adjacent waved elements in an axial direction of said stent and having an amplitude larger than that of the other wave.

9. The stent according to claim 8, wherein the ridges of the waved elements of the annular expanding members adjacent to each other in the longitudinal axial direction of said stent are connected to each other and the bottoms of the waved elements of the annular expanding members adjacent to each other in the longitudinal axial direction of said stent are connected to each other by the waved connecting members in respect of all the annular expanding members.

10. The stent according to claim 8, wherein the waved elements adjacent to each other in the longitudinal axial direction of said stent are arranged such that no substantial phase difference exists between the waves.

11. The stent according to claim 8, wherein the width of each of said waved connecting members is not larger than ½

of the width of the waved element.

12. The stent according to claim 11, wherein the width of each of said waved connecting members falls within a range of 0.03 mm to 0.08 mm.

13. The stent according to claim 8, wherein the largest wave included in each of said waved connecting members is larger than the width of the ridge or bottom of the waved element under the state that the stent has said first outer diameter.

14. The stent according to claim 8, wherein the total length of said waved connecting member is at least 1.3 times as much as the straight distance between the ridges or between the bottoms of the waved elements adjacent to each other in the longitudinal axial direction of said stent.

15. The stent according to claim 8, wherein the width of the clearance between the waved elements adjacent to each other in the longitudinal axial direction of said stent falls within a range of 0.4 mm to 1.7 mm.