Stretchable Anti-Buckling Coiled-Sheet Stent

• US 20070135888A1
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Cupertino Corp. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Endotex Interventional Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Spiridigliozzi, John, Khosravi, Farhad, Patel, Himanshu
• Granted Patent: US 7,641,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/848 having means for fixation to the vessel wall, e.g. barbs
• 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 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/92 Stents in the form of a rolled-up sheet expanding after insertion into the vessel , e.g. with a spiral shape in cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/072 Encapsulated stents, e.g. wire or whole stent embedded in lining
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0008 Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/005 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0066 stapled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

A stent-graft having an exo-skeleton attached to a tubular graft, the tubular graft having a peripheral wall defining a lumen therein extending between first and second ends. The exo-skeleton may assume contracted and enlarged conditions, and includes one or more serpentine elements, each extending both peripherally and axially along at least a portion of the peripheral wall. Coiled-sheet stents are provided on the ends of the tubular graft for anchoring the ends within a body passage. Each serpentine element is a zigzag structure extending peripherally about the peripheral wall, with a plurality of serpentine elements distributed axially along the peripheral wall. The serpentine elements are individually attached to the peripheral wall and/or connector elements may extend between adjacent serpentine elements. Alternatively, each serpentine element may define a generally sinusoidal shape extending axially along the peripheral wall. The tubular graft may have a bifurcated end from which a tubular graft extension segment may extend and to which a docking limb may be attached. A plurality of serpentine elements may also be attached to the extension segment and the docking limb.

Claims

1. A stretchable stent, comprising:

a coiled-up sheet having overlapping inner and outer longitudinal sections, and being radially expandable between a first size and one or more larger sizes, the coiled-up sheet defining a periphery in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof;

a plurality of teeth extending from the inner longitudinal section for engaging openings in the outer longitudinal section to selectively secure the coiled-up sheet in the one or more larger sizes; and

a stretchable portion comprising a plurality of resilient mesh elements extending along a portion of the coiled-up sheet, the mesh elements being adapted to partially recoil about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet when the stent is subjected to radially compressive forces.

2. The stent-graft of claim 1, wherein the stretchable portion extends longitudinally between first and second ends of the coiled-up sheet.

3. The stent-graft of claim 1, wherein the stretchable portion comprises a sleeve on an end of the coiled-up sheet.

4. The stent-graft of claim 1, wherein the coiled-up sheet comprises Nitinol.

5. The stent-graft of claim 4, wherein the coiled-up sheet is biased to adopt a second size larger than the first size when the Nitinol is in its austenitic phase, whereby the mesh elements define a stretched configuration about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet.

6. The stent-graft of claim 4, wherein the coiled-up sheet is biased to adopt a third size smaller than the second size when the Nitinol is in a martensitic phase, whereby the mesh elements define an unstretched configuration substantially smaller than the stretched configuration.

7. The stent-graft of claim 1, wherein the coiled-up sheet comprises an unstretchable portion that is generally incompressible about the periphery.