Two stage light curable stent and delivery system

• US 20030114914A1
• Filed: 11/26/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cheng E. Tina
• Original Assignee: Cheng E. Tina
• Inventors: Cheng, E. Tina
• Granted Patent: US 6,869,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00

Abstract

An expandable stent including a light and water curable resin embedded in a stent wall wherein the wall is formed to be transmissive to light for curing the resin and transmissive to fluid for further curing of the resin. A catheter delivery system may be provided for in vivo delivery, expansion, rigidization, and installation of the stent into a body lumen.

Claims

1. A stent for implanting in a body lumen, comprising:

a tubular wall defining a flexible stent body compressible to a delivery configuration and expandable to an implanted configuration;

the wall being formed with at least one chamber;

a resin deposited in the chamber, the resin being responsive to light and fluid to cure to assume a rigid condition;

the wall including at least one transmissive section formed to provide for transmission of light from the exterior of the wall to the resin;

the wall including at least one porous section to provide for transmission of fluid to the resin.

2. The stent of claim 1 for use with an expandable member wherein the stent body is configured with a passage to receive the expandable member in the compressed configuration and to expand in expansion relationship with the expandable member to the implanted configuration.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein the chamber forms with a discreet pocket at a selected spot and the resin is disposed in the pocket to, when cured, provide support at the selected spot.

4. The stent of claim 1, wherein the chamber is formed to extend longitudinally along the stent body and the resin is disposed longitudinally in the chamber to, when cured, provide longitudinal support.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein the stent, when in the implanted configuration, forms an annular void in the chamber so that the resin extends within the annular void to, when cured, provide annular support.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein the chamber forms a tubular void when the stent is in the implanted configuration and the resin extends within the tubular void to, when cured, form a tubular shell.

7. The stent of claim 1, wherein the stent body is constructed of biocompatable polymer.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein the resin is radiopaque.

9. The stent of claim 1, wherein the wall is elastic.

10. The stent of claim 1, wherein the wall is biodegradable.

11. The stent of claim 1, wherein the wall is further formed to define a plurality of annular voids spaced longitudinally along the wall with flexible segments therebetween and the resin is received in the voids to, when the stent is in the expanded position and the resin cured, provide annular support.

12. The stent of claim 11, wherein the resin is radiopaque.

13. A stent delivery system for implanting an expandable stent formed with a tubular stent wall containing encapsulated light curable material, the stent wall adjacent to the material being transmissive to curing light for hardening the material, the system comprising:

a catheter assembly with a proximal end and a distal end;

the distal end having a mounting region for mounting of the stent and including an expandable member receivable in the stent to expand the stent to an expanded configuration while mounted on the mounting region; and

a material curing apparatus including at least one light fiber;

the at least one fiber terminating distally in a diagonal cut defining a light emitter; and

the emitter to be disposed in light exchange relationship with the material while the stent is in the expanded configuration on the mounting region.

20. The stent delivery system of claim 13, wherein the expandable member is tubular and is configured to be interposed between the emitter and the stent and wherein the expandable member is transmissible to light.

21. The stent delivery system of claim 13, wherein the expandable member is in the form of an expandable balloon.

22. The stent delivery system of claim 13, wherein the catheter assembly includes a catheter with an inner tube defining a guide wire passage wherein the expandable member is mounted coaxially about the inner tube.

23. The stent delivery system of claim 22, wherein the emitter is disposed between the inner tube and the expandable member and wherein the expandable member is transmissible to light.

24. The stent delivery system of claim 22, wherein the emitter is disposed within the inner tube and the inner tube is transmissible to light.

25. The stent delivery system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the curing apparatus is configured to project light selectively about the stent wall.

14. A stent delivery system for implanting an expandable stent formed with a tubular stent wall containing encapsulated light curable material, the stent wall adjacent to the material being transmissive to curing light for hardening the material, the system comprising:

a catheter assembly having a proximal end and a distal end;

the distal end having a mounting region for mounting of the stent and including an expandable member receivable in the stent to expand the stent to an expanded configuration while mounted on the mounting region; and

a material curing apparatus including at least one light emitter to be disposed about the expandable member and in light exchange relationship with the material while the stent is in the expanded configuration on the mounting region.

15. The stent delivery system of claim 14, wherein the catheter assembly includes a catheter with an inner tube defining a guide wire passage wherein the expandable member is mounted coaxially about the inner tube, and wherein the light emitter is in the form of a light fiber with a diagonally cut end.

16. The stent delivery system of claim 14, wherein the at least one emitter includes an array of light fibers disposed circumferentially about the expandable member.

17. The stent delivery system of claim 14, wherein the material curing apparatus includes an expandable light transmissive jacket for securing the at least one emitter and wherein the emitter is disposed within the jacket.

18. The stent delivery system of claim 14, wherein the material curing apparatus includes an expandable light transmissive jacket for securing the at least one emitter and wherein the emitter is disposed between the expandable member and the jacket.

19. The stent delivery system of claim 16, wherein each of the fibers is terminated in a diagonally cut end.