Endoluminal prosthesis

• US 20070055347A1
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Arbefeuille, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,702,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.150
• 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 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/826 more than one stent being applied sequentially

Abstract

An endoluminal prosthesis is provided that includes a tubular graft and an expandable annular support structure. The annular support structure is coupled to the tubular graft so that the graft and support structure, in combination, provide columnar support while maintaining prosthesis flexibility. The prosthesis has sufficient strength and durability to withstand loads applied during deployment and sufficient flexibility to permit implant in a sealing arrangement within a tortuous body lumen. An embodiment according to the invention provides a plurality of annular structures with staggered, longitudinally overlapping apices of undulating structures. One embodiment relates to tubular grafts for endoluminal placement within a body lumen, including blood vessels, and for the treatment of abdominal and other aneurysms.

Claims

1. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

a tubular graft comprising a graft material, a proximal portion having a proximal opening, and a distal portion having a distal opening, the proximal and distal openings and the graft material forming a lumen for the flow of body fluid therethrough; and

a plurality of annular support members, each of the plurality of support members comprising a plurality of spokes coupled by a plurality of apices to form a closed ring, having an axis extending longitudinally therethrough,

wherein each of the plurality of annular support members are attached to the graft material along the tubular graft to define, for each of the plurality of annular support members, a corresponding circumferential area of the graft material around a corresponding annular support member,

wherein at least one of the apices of a first of the plurality of annular support members is attached within the corresponding circumferential area of the graft material of an annular support member adjacent the first annular support member, and

wherein the at least one of the apices of the first of the plurality of annular support members extends axially beyond an other of the apices of the first annular support member.

2. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the apices of each the plurality of support members comprising alternating crests and troughs.

3. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 2

wherein each of the apices extending beyond the other of the apices of the plurality of annular support members is attached to the graft material within the corresponding circumferential area of an adjacent support member.

4. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the tubular graft has a length and each of the apices extending beyond the other of the apices are substantially aligned with each other along the length of the tubular graft.

5. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 3 wherein each of the said apices extending beyond the other of the apices is a crest extending axially beyond the other of the crests of a corresponding support member.

6. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 3 wherein each of the said apices extending beyond the other of the apices is a trough extending axially beyond the other of the troughs of a corresponding support member.

7. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 wherein at least one of the annular support members comprises a spring biased in a radially outward direction.

8. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 7 wherein the spring is arranged to form a sealing relationship between the tubular graft and the inner wall of a body lumen.

9. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the apices is attached to the graft material by a stitch.

10. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 9 wherein the stitch comprises at least between 2-4 stitches per said at least one of the apices.

11. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

a tubular graft comprising a graft material and having a length, a proximal portion having a proximal opening, and a distal portion having a distal opening, the proximal and distal openings and the graft material forming a lumen along the length for the flow of body fluid therethrough; and

a plurality of annular support structures, each support structure comprising a series of undulating members, and defining a circumference,

wherein at least one undulating member of a support structure lengthwise overlaps an undulating member of an adjacent support structure and is offset from the undulating member of the adjacent support structure about the circumference of the adjacent support structure.

12. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

a tubular graft comprising a graft material, a proximal portion having a proximal opening, and a distal portion having a distal opening, the proximal and distal openings and the graft material forming a lumen for the flow of body fluids therethrough;

a first annular support member, comprising a plurality of spokes coupled by a plurality of apices to form a closed ring having an axis extending longitudinally therethrough, the apices comprising alternating crests and troughs, wherein one of the apices extends axially beyond an other of the apices,

wherein the first annular support member is attached to the graft material.

13. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 wherein one of the crests extends axially beyond the other of the crests and one of the troughs extends axially beyond the other of the troughs.

14. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 further comprising a second annular support member comprising a plurality of second spokes coupled by a plurality of second apices to form a second ring,

wherein the second annular support member is attached to the graft material to define a circumferential area of the graft material around the second annular support member, and

wherein the one of the apices extending beyond other of the apices of the first support member is attached to the graft material within the circumferential area of the second support member.

15. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 wherein the one of the apices extending beyond other of the apices of the first support member is attached to the graft material by a stitch.

16. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 wherein the stitch comprises at least between 24 stitches per said at least one of the apices.

17. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 wherein the prosthesis is an aneurysm exclusion device

18. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 wherein the first expandable annular support member comprises a spring biased in a radially outward direction.

19. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 wherein

the proximal portion comprises trunk portion and the distal portion is branched into at least two branch portions, each of the at least two branch portions having a distal opening, the trunk portion and the branch portions forming a lumen for the flow of body fluids from the proximal opening through the distal openings of the at least two branch portions.

20. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 19 wherein the first and second annular support members are located with one of the branch portions.

21. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 20 wherein the first annular support member comprises an expandable annular spring biased in a radially outward direction for engaging the distal portion of the graft to an inner wall of an iliac vessel.

22. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 12 wherein the troughs of the first annular support member comprise a plurality of alternating longer troughs and shorter troughs.

23. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 14 wherein the alternating troughs of the first annular support member comprise a plurality of alternating longer troughs and shorter troughs, and

wherein the plurality of second apices of the second annular support member comprise alternating second crests and second troughs and wherein the second crests comprise a plurality of alternating longer crests and shorter crests.

24. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 23 wherein the longer troughs of the first annular support member are aligned with the shorter crests of the second annular support member and the shorter troughs of the first annular support member are aligned with the longer crests of the second annular support member.

25. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 24 wherein the first annular support member is attached to the graft material to define a circumferential area of the graft material around the first annular support member, and

wherein the longer crests of the second support member are attached within the circumferential area of graft material around the first annular support member and the longer troughs of the of the first support member are attached within the circumferential area of graft material around the second annular support member.

26. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

tubular graft means for placement within a body lumen and for conducting flow of body fluids therethrough, the tubular graft means comprising body fluid exclusion means, a proximal portion having a proximal opening, and a distal portion having a distal opening, the proximal and distal openings and the body fluid exclusion means forming a lumen means for the flow of body fluids therethrough;

first and second annular support means for supporting the tubular graft means and maintaining the lumen means in an open position, said first annular support means defining a circumferential area of the graft means and said second annular support means comprising a middle circumference, at least one short apex means and at least one elongate means extending a greater distance from the middle circumference than the at least one short apex means;

attachment means for attaching the first and second annular support means together by attaching the elongate means of the second annular support means to the circumferential area of the graft means to provide columnar support between the first and second annular support means.

27. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 26 wherein the attachment means comprises a stitching means.

28. A method of manufacturing an endoluminal prosthesis comprising the steps of:

providing a tubular graft comprising a graft material and defining an opening having an axis therethrough;

attaching a first annular support member to the graft material, the first annular support member comprising a plurality of first apices extending in a first axial direction with respect to the axis of the tubular graft, wherein at least one of the plurality of first apices extends axially beyond another of the plurality of first apices;

attaching a second annular support member to the tubular graft adjacent the first annular support member, the second annular support member comprising a plurality of second apices extending in a second axial direction opposite to the first axial direction, at least one of the second apices of the second annular support member defining a circumferential area of a portion of the tubular graft around the second annular support member, wherein the at least one of the plurality of first apices of the first annular support member is attached to the tubular graft within the circumferential area.

29. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

a tubular graft having a circumference;

a first annular support member sewn onto the tubular graft, the first annular support member comprising a series of struts joining a series of peaks and valleys to form a ring of alternating peaks and valleys and defining an axis through the ring, wherein a first longer peak extends axially beyond a first shorter peak;

a second annular support member sewn onto the tubular graft, the second annular support member comprising a series of struts joining a series of peaks and valleys to form a ring of alternating peaks and valleys and defining an axis through the ring, wherein a first longer valley extends axially beyond a first shorter valley; and

wherein the first annular support member is located adjacent the second annular support member so that the longer peak of the first annular support member axially overlaps the longer trough of the second annular support member and so that the longer peak of the first annular support member is circumferentially offset from the longer valley of the second annular support member.

30. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 29 wherein a first strut of the first annular support member connects the longer peak of the first annular support member to a valley and wherein the a second strut of a second annular support member connects the second the longer valley of the second support member to a peak,

wherein at least a portion of the first strut is located adjacent at least a portion of the second strut;

wherein the longer peak comprises a first pair of points on the first strut and longer trough comprises a second pair of points on the second strut, wherein the distance between the first pair of points on the longer peak is equal to the distance between the second pair of points on the longer trough ; and

wherein movement of the first strut with respect to the second strut is restricted to a plurality of parallelograms defined by the first pair of points and the second pair of points.