Positional locking endoluminal device system
First Claim
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1. A stent having a generally tubular body, the tubular body defining an interior, the stent, comprising at least two polygonal geometrically shaped elements, each element having a plurality of sides, an outer surface, and inner surface, and at least one elastic connector connecting two of the polygonal geometrically shaped elements such that the polygonal geometric shaped elements can assume a plurality of stable orientations relative to one another
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Abstract
A medical device comprises a stent formed out of a multiplicity of interlocking polygonal geometric shape elements connected by connectors.
26 Citations
34 Claims
- 1. A stent having a generally tubular body, the tubular body defining an interior, the stent, comprising at least two polygonal geometrically shaped elements, each element having a plurality of sides, an outer surface, and inner surface, and at least one elastic connector connecting two of the polygonal geometrically shaped elements such that the polygonal geometric shaped elements can assume a plurality of stable orientations relative to one another
- 12. The stent of claim 12 wherein in the unexpanded state, at least two polygonal geometrically shaped elements overlap each other.
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18. A stent having a generally tubular body, the tubular body defining an interior,
the stent having an expanded and unexpanded configuration and comprising at least two octagonal shaped elements, each shaped element having a plurality of sides, an outer surface, an inner surface, and at least one locking point and at least one elastic connector connecting the octagonal shaped elements wherein: -
in the unexpanded configuration at least two of the octagonal shaped elements are positioned adjacent to each other in a first relative position forming stent in a cylindrical configuration and in the expanded configuration, stent assumes a cylindrical configuration in which the two octagonal shaped elements assume a second relative position in which at least two of the locking points fit into each other and lock the two octagonal shaped elements together, and the tension induced by the elastic connector pulls the octagonal shaped elements together to keep them in the expanded configuration.
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19. A method of treating a blood vessel comprising the steps of:
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providing a stent having a generally tubular body, the tubular body defining an interior, the stent having an expanded and unexpanded configuration and comprising at least two geometric shaped elements, each shaped element having a plurality of sides, an outer surface, an inner surface, and at least one locking point and at least one elastic connector connecting the geometric shaped elements wherein;
in the unexpanded configuration at least two of the geometric shaped elements are positioned adjacent to each other in a first relative position and in the expanded configuration, stent assumes a configuration in which the two geometric shaped elements assume a second relative position in which at least two of the locking points fit into each other and lock the two geometric shaped elements together, and the tension induced by the elastic connector pulls the geometric shaped elements together to keep them in the expanded configuration in an unexpanded configuration;
emplacing the unexpanded stent on a catheter;
inserting the stent and catheter into a blood vessel; and
deploying the stent.
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- 20. A stent comprising a plurality of plates, each plate having an inner surface and an outer surface and a plurality of sides disposed about the periphery of the plate extending between the inner and outer surfaces, at least two plates which are adjacent one another connected flexibly one to the other to allow for reorientation of the plates relative to one another, adjacent plates having a first orientation in which one of the sides of one of the plates abuts one of the sides of the plate adjacent thereto and a second orientation in which another of the sides of one of plates abuts the same or different side of the plate adjacent thereto.
- 30. A stent comprising a plurality of stent segments, at least two adjacent segments having a plurality of meshing teeth to allow one of the segments to be repositioned relative to the other of the two segments.
Specification