Longitudinal focussed force stent
First Claim
1. A stent for insertion into a corporeal vessel, comprising:
- a stent body having proximal and distal ends and an outer surface, and at least one longitudinal projection external to said stent outer surface, wherein each longitudinal projection acts as a rail to reduce the contact area between the stent and the vessel wall during insertion of the stent.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device of the present invention includes a generally tubular stent body with one or more external longitudinal projections. The stent is used for insertion into a vessel. These projections may extend from the distal end of the stent to the proximal end of the stent, or they may terminate at a location proximal to the distal end of the stent and/or distal to the proximal end of the stent. The projections act as rails to reduce a contact area between the stent and a vessel wall as well as act to focus and concentrate the radial forces. Preferably the distal end of each projection is tapered to facilitate crossing a tight undilated stenotic segment. When the stent is inserted into the vessel, it is expanded by balloon inflation, shape memory, self-expansion and, other means. The projections may be formed in the stent, added as separate elements and attached by suitable methods, or formed by crimping the stent with a suitable tool.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A stent for insertion into a corporeal vessel, comprising:
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a stent body having proximal and distal ends and an outer surface, and at least one longitudinal projection external to said stent outer surface, wherein each longitudinal projection acts as a rail to reduce the contact area between the stent and the vessel wall during insertion of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 30, 31)
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16. A stent for insertion into a corporeal vessel, comprising:
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a stent body having proximal and distal ends on an outer surface, and at least three projections external to said stent outer surface, wherein each projection acts as a rail to reduce the contact area between the stent and the vessel wall. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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- 32. A method of magnifying stresses at a portion of a stenosis in contact with a stent, the stent including a distal end and a proximal end and having a circular cross-section, the method comprising the steps of limiting the initial contact area between a vessel wall and the stent to at least one projection, said projection being external to the surface of the stent and acting as a stress concentrator such that for a given stent expansion force, the stresses at a portion of a stenosis in contact with said projection are greatly magnified, allowing the stenosis to expand at lower pressures than if said at least one projection were not present.
Specification