Apparatus for the detection of restenosis

• US 20040225326A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Biophan Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Biophan Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Weiner, Mike L., Connelly, Patrick R.
• Application Number:
  US10/836,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20040225326A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0002 for data transfer

Abstract

A medical apparatus is disclosed for determining the degree of restenosis of a stent comprising a stent, an energy transmitter, an energy receiver, and a processor to compare the transmitted energy and the received energy.

Claims

1. A medical apparatus comprising a stent, a transmitter operatively configured to generate an electromagnetic wave to produce a transmitted wave, a receiver operatively configured to receive said transmitted wave to produce a received wave, and a processor operatively configured to compare said transmitted wave and said received wave to produce a compared value.

2. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said processor is operatively configured to compare said compared value to a baseline value to produce a corrected value.

3. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said corrected value is indicative of restenosis within said stent.

4. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein a therapeutic response is triggered when said corrected value deviates from said baseline value.

5. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said processor is operatively configured to transmit said corrected value to a remote unit, wherein said remote unit is external to said stent.

6. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said processor is operatively configured to receive a transmission from said remote unit.

7. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said transmitted energy is comprised of substantially parallel energy.

8. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein said transmitter is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

9. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said transmitted energy is comprised of substantially non-parallel energy.

10. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said stent is disposed within a living organism.

11. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said transmitter and said receiver are at least partially disposed within said stent.

12. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said transmitted wave is an electromagnetic wave with a wavelength from about 400 nm to about 750 nm.

13. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said transmitted wave has a wavelength from about 600 nm to about 700 nm.

14. A process for detecting restenosis of a medical apparatus comprising the steps of

a. obtaining a baseline measurement for a stent while said stent is exposed to a first environmental condition,

b. expositing said stent to a second environmental condition,

c. transmitting energy from a transmitting element disposed within said stent to produce transmitted energy,

d. receiving said transmitted energy at receiving element disposed within said stent to produce received energy, and

e. determining the degree of stenosis of said stent in said second environmental condition based on the comparison of the values of said transmitted energy, said received energy, and said baseline measurement.

15. The process as recited in claim 14, wherein said stent is disposed within a living organism.

16. A medical apparatus comprising a stent, means for generating an energy wave to produce a transmitted wave, means for receiving said transmitted wave to produce a received wave, and means for comparing said transmitted wave and said received wave to produce a compared value.

17. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said means for comparing said transmitted wave and said received wave further comprises means for comparing said compared value to a baseline value to generate a corrected value.

18. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said corrected value is indicative of restenosis within said stent.

19. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said transmitted wave is a vibrational wave.

20. The medical apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein said transmitted wave is an electromagnetic wave.