Flexible stent-graft

• US 20060149351A1
• Filed: 09/02/2003
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anson Medical Limited
• Original Assignee: Anson Medical Limited
• Inventors: Smirthwaite, Amie, Philips, Peter William, Keeble, Duncan
• Granted Patent: US 8,998,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

A stent graft is provided which has two stent sections having different functions on, for example, a tubular graft. One stent section preferably comprises a plurality of circumferential reinforcing hoops and the other a Z-stent. The two sections are preferably separated by a spacer section and the tubular graft preferably increases in diameter from the Z-stent section to the hooped section. This enables the stent graft to be compressed radially so that it can be inserted in a catheter for later delivery to a body lumen.

Claims

1. A stent graft for implantation in a body lumen comprising

a tubular graft having a first stent section comprising reinforcing material formed into a first pattern and a second stent section comprising reinforcing material formed into a second pattern, the first pattern being different from the second pattern,

the tubular graft having a first diameter in the region of the first stent section and a second diameter in the region of the first stent section,

wherein the first diameter is different from the second diameter.

2. The stent graft of claim 1 wherein the difference between the first diameter and the second diameter is up to 5 mm.

3. The stent graft of claim 1 wherein the difference between the first diameter and the second diameter is about 2 mm.

4. The stent graft of claim 1 wherein the first diameter is larger than the second diameter.

5. The stent graft of claim 1 wherein the second diameter is larger than the first diameter.

6. The stent graft of claim 1 wherein the first stent section comprises a plurality of circumferential hoops of reinforcing material disposed around the tubular graft.

7. The stent graft of claim 1 wherein the second stent section comprises at least one circumferential hoop of reinforcing material which oscillates about a line running circumferentially around the longitudinal axis of the tubular graft.

8. The stent graft of claim 7, wherein the ratio of the mean distance from

(1) the peak to the trough of the oscillation measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the graft diameter to

(2) the diameter of the graft in the region of the second stent section is about 1:

2.

9. The stent graft of claim 7 wherein the second stent section has 2+4n peaks wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 3.

10. The stent graft of claim 1 wherein the first and second stent sections are separated by a spacer section, the axial length of which is from a sixth to a third of the diameter of the graft in the region of the first stent section.

11. A method comprising:

a. radially compressing a stent graft having;

(1) a first stent section having a first diameter, and including reinforcing material formed into a first pattern, and

(2) a second stent section having a second diameter and including reinforcing material formed into a second pattern, wherein the second diameter is different from the first diameter and the second pattern is different from the first pattern;

b. inserting the compressed stent graft into a catheter having an internal diameter which is less than the diameter of the first stent section of the stent graft.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the internal diameter is less than about a quarter of the diameter of the first stent section of the stent graft.

13. A stent graft for implantation in a body lumen comprising two or more tubular stent sections connected in series along a common axis, wherein:

a. at least one of the stent sections is radially expandable from a compressed state, wherein the stent section has decreased diameter when in its compressed state; and

b. each stent section includes patterned reinforcing material,

wherein the stent sections have both;

(1) different diameters, and

(2) different reinforcing material patterns,

when the stent sections are fully expanded.

14. The stent graft of claim 13 wherein two of the stent sections differ by at least about 2 mm in their diameters when fully expanded.

15. The stent graft of claim 13 wherein two of the stent sections differ by 2-5 mm in their diameters when fully expanded.

16. The stent graft of claim 13 including at least three stent sections, wherein an intermediate one of the stent sections rests between two of the stent sections, and wherein the intermediate stent section has an axial length measuring between about one-sixth to one-third of its diameter.

17. The stent graft of claim 13 wherein at least one of the stent sections includes a series of hoops of reinforcing material, each hoop extending circumferentially in a plane about the stent section.

18. The stent graft of claim 17 wherein at least one of the stent sections includes an oscillating hoop of reinforcing material extending circumferentially about the stent section, wherein the oscillations extend in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent section.

19. The stent graft of claim 18 wherein the ratio of the mean amplitudes of the oscillations, as measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent section, to the diameter of the fully expanded stent section about which the oscillating hoop of reinforcing material extends, is about 1:

2.

20. The stent graft of claim 19 wherein the oscillating hoop has 2+4n peaks, wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 3.