STENT DEVICE HAVING FOCAL ELEVATING ELEMENTS FOR MINIMAL SURFACE AREA CONTACT WITH LUMEN WALLS
First Claim
1. A stent, comprising:
- a tubular stent body having a length and an outer expanded diameter sized to dimensions of an organ lumen in which it is to be used, and comprising a plurality of struts;
a plurality of focal elevating elements arranged in an array at spaced locations over the outer surface of the tubular stent body, said focal elevating elements having a height which results in an elevated outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the strut sections of said stent body, and having a total contact surface area for contact with walls of the organ lumen that is a fraction of a total contact surface area of the outer surfaces of the strut sections of said tubular stent body, and being configured to apply point pressure to the organ lumen walls so as to elevate adjacent outer surfaces of the tubular stent body away from contact with the organ lumen walls;
wherein the stent body has at least a first thickness measured in a radial direction at a first point on a strut and a second thickness measured in a radial direction at a second point on a focal elevating element, and the second thickness is greater than the first thickness.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved stent device has a body structure in tubular form sized to an organ lumen in which it is to be used and made of a wire mesh or cage structure of interwoven or interdigitated strut sections, and a plurality of focal elevating elements of relatively small point-like size or vector-like edge in an array over outer surfaces of the wire mesh or strut sections of the stent body structure. The focal elevating elements elevate the wire mesh or strut sections away from and minimize surface area contact with the organ lumen walls. They also reduce contact pressure in regions neighboring the focal elevating elements in order to minimize trauma due to contact or movement against the organ lumen walls. A preferred use for the stent device is in a blood vessel lumen, particularly to retain plaque dissection after balloon angioplasty.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A stent, comprising:
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a tubular stent body having a length and an outer expanded diameter sized to dimensions of an organ lumen in which it is to be used, and comprising a plurality of struts; a plurality of focal elevating elements arranged in an array at spaced locations over the outer surface of the tubular stent body, said focal elevating elements having a height which results in an elevated outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the strut sections of said stent body, and having a total contact surface area for contact with walls of the organ lumen that is a fraction of a total contact surface area of the outer surfaces of the strut sections of said tubular stent body, and being configured to apply point pressure to the organ lumen walls so as to elevate adjacent outer surfaces of the tubular stent body away from contact with the organ lumen walls; wherein the stent body has at least a first thickness measured in a radial direction at a first point on a strut and a second thickness measured in a radial direction at a second point on a focal elevating element, and the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An intraluminal prosthesis, comprising:
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a stent body configured to scaffold a lumen in which it is deployed, and comprising a plurality of strut sections; a plurality of radially outwardly protruding elements disposed at spaced apart locations and extending from the outer surface of the stent body, said radially outwardly protruding elements protruding, in an unconstrained state ex-vivo, to an outside radius that is greater than the outside radius of strut sections adjacent the radial protruding elements, the radial protruding elements having a total contact surface area for contact with walls of the lumen that is a fraction of a total contact surface area of the outer surfaces of the stent body, and the radial protruding elements configured to produce an outwardly directed force gradient in-vivo that is greatest at the protruding element and decreases at locations spaced away from the protruding elements, so to minimize pressure being applied against the lumen walls at locations spaced apart from the radially protruding elements - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification