Echogenic stent
First Claim
1. An echogenic stent adapted to be placed into a biological tissue or vessel of a patient, comprising:
- an elongate tube having a lumen extending substantially along a longitudinal axis, the tube being adapted to be advanced to a desired location of the biological tissue or vessel, and at least a portion of the lumen being sealed to entrap air to enhance ultrasonic reflection.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An echogenic medical device such as a stent for insertion into a biological tissue or vessel comprising an elongate tube and having at least one lumen extending substantially along a longitudinal axis. The elongate tube comprises a material having an acoustic impedance different from the acoustic impedance of the biological tissue or vessel of a patient body such that ultrasonic imaging of the tube inside the patient'"'"'s body may be achieved. The elongate tube may comprise a plastic material such as polyethylene or any formable, pliable material which may be molded and/or extruded to a variety of shapes depending upon a specific application. The invention improves ultrasonic imaging by entrapping air in a lumen of the stent, which may have any cross-sectional shape and which may be sealed anywhere along the longitudinal axis. The stent may include curled ends for positioning the stent in a body vessel, a plurality of holes for draining fluid in a body tissue, and additional lumen to entrap air and to further enhance ultrasonic imaging of the stent. The coils of the curled ends may also be tightly spaced together to provide ultrasound reflection. In another aspect of the invention, a material such as a foaming agent may be added during the extrusion process to cause the formation of CO2 gas to form in the material as it is being extruded. In yet another aspect of the invention, a mesh stent may be used to advantage either by modifying the individual elements to be more echogenic or by adjusting the braid configuration to be more reflective.
53 Citations
43 Claims
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1. An echogenic stent adapted to be placed into a biological tissue or vessel of a patient, comprising:
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an elongate tube having a lumen extending substantially along a longitudinal axis, the tube being adapted to be advanced to a desired location of the biological tissue or vessel, and at least a portion of the lumen being sealed to entrap air to enhance ultrasonic reflection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An medical device adapted to be placed into a biological tissue or vessel of a patient, comprising:
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an elongate tube having a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis; and
a plurality of porous particles or air bubbles formed along a portion of the elongate tube, the tube being adapted to be advanced to a desired location of the biological tissue or vessel, and the plurality of porous particles or air bubbles being formed along the portion of the tube to enhance ultrasonic reflection. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An echogenic stent adapted to be placed into a biological tissue or vessel of a patient, comprising:
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an elongate tube having a lumen extending substantially along a longitudinal axis; and
a braid or mesh having a plurality of individual elements formed around a portion of the elongate tube, the tube being adapted to be advanced to a desired location of the biological tissue or vessel, and the braid or mesh being formed around a portion of the tube to enhance ultrasonic reflection. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A process of manufacturing an echogenic stent adapted to be placed into a biological tissue or vessel of a patient, comprising:
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forming an elongate tube from a formable material having a lumen;
sealing at least a portion of the lumen to entrap air to enhance ultrasonic reflection; and
shaping the elongate tube to a desired shape to be placed into the biological tissue or vessel of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A medical device, comprising:
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a distal section having a first flexibility and a first length; and
a proximate section having a second flexibility and a second length, wherein a portion of at least the distal section and the proximate section includes a plurality of porous particles or air bubbles to enhance ultrasonic reflection. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A ureteral access sheath, comprising:
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an elongate tube having a first lumen extending between a proximal end and a distal end; and
a handle disposed at the proximal end of the tube having a flared configuration, a first surface facing generally distally, and a second surface facing generally proximally and configured to funnel instrumentation into the lumen, the elongate tube further comprises a second lumen, at least a portion of the second lumen being sealed to entrap air to enhance ultrasonic reflection. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification