ANGIOPLASTY STENTS
First Claim
1. An angioplasty stent comprising a body which has a generally tubular wall and configured to be expandable in use from a radially contracted condition towards a radially expanded condition, wherein the wall of the body comprises a plurality of arms and a plurality of selectively deformable regions extending between the arms, each selectively deformable region having first and second ends connected between two arms and being configured to be deformable during the expansion of the stent such that an angle between the two arms connected to each selectively deformable region is greater in the radially expanded condition than in the radially contracted condition, each arm having a first cross-section, each deformable region having a second cross-section which is different from the first cross-section, the cross-section of each selectively deformable region being substantially constant except at transition portions adjacent the ends of the selectively deformable regions.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An angioplasty stent comprises a body comprising a plurality of successive segments connected in pairs by bridge means so that the successive segments can be oriented relative to one another for the purposes of bending of the body in any direction defined by a linear combination of respective orientation axes defined by the bridge connection means. During the radial expansion of the stent, the axial contraction of the segments resulting from the opening-out of the respective loops is compensated by axial projection of the bridge elements from the respective concave portions. The wall of the body comprises arms for supporting a lumen as well as regions which are selectively deformable during the expansion of the stent, the arms and the selectively deformable regions having different cross-sections and/or cross-sectional areas. At least one portion of the body may have a substantially reticular structure, the branches of which define geometrical figures identifiable as fractals.
65 Citations
30 Claims
- 1. An angioplasty stent comprising a body which has a generally tubular wall and configured to be expandable in use from a radially contracted condition towards a radially expanded condition, wherein the wall of the body comprises a plurality of arms and a plurality of selectively deformable regions extending between the arms, each selectively deformable region having first and second ends connected between two arms and being configured to be deformable during the expansion of the stent such that an angle between the two arms connected to each selectively deformable region is greater in the radially expanded condition than in the radially contracted condition, each arm having a first cross-section, each deformable region having a second cross-section which is different from the first cross-section, the cross-section of each selectively deformable region being substantially constant except at transition portions adjacent the ends of the selectively deformable regions.
- 16. An angioplasty stent comprising a body which has a generally tubular wall defining a longitudinal axis, the body being expandable in use from a radially contracted condition towards a radially expanded condition, the wall of the body having a plurality of arms and a plurality of selectively deformable regions, each selectively deformable region having first and second ends connected between ends of two of the plurality of arms, each arm having first and second ends and first and second sides, a distance between the first and second ends being a length of the arm and a distance between the first and second sides being a width of the arm, each arm having a cross-sectional shape, each selectively deformable region having a cross-sectional shape which is different from the cross-sectional shape of the arms, the plurality of arms being sized and configured such that when the body is in the contracted condition a maximum circumferential distance between adjacent arms is less than the width of the arms.
Specification