Bifurcated endoluminal prosthesis

• US 5,718,724 A
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 02/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lifeport Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Technology Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Goicoechea, George, Hudson, John, Mialhe, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Milano, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US08/463,991
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/11, 623/12, 606/194, 606/195, 600/36
• US Class Current: 606/194
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/852 Two or more distinct overlapping stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/061 provided with means for allowing access to secondary lumens
• 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 2002/828 Means for connecting a plurality of stents allowing flexibility of the whole structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0019 operated at only one temperature whilst inside or touching the human body, e.g. constrained in a non-operative shape during surgery, another temperature only occurring before the operation
• 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 2220/0033 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementary-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• 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 2230/0067 conical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2240/001 Designing or manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0662 : Guide tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/903 : Blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

An introducer for delivering into the vasculature a straight or bifurcated stent or prosthesis; a method for delivering into the vasculature a straight or bifurcated stent or prosthesis; a method of treating and angeological disease using a bifurcated stent; an endoluminal stent having perpendicular hoop members, each hoop member formed of wire in a sinuous configuration, at least some of juxtaposed apices in neighboring hoops being secured to one another, such stents also forming axially aligned segments in straight stents, and segments of bifurcated stents in particular embodiments. Certain embodiments of such stents also include barbs, fabric covering and radiopaque markers.

Claims

1. A method of determining rotational orientation of an endoluminal prosthesis during insertion of said prosthesis into a lumen of a body comprising the steps of:

(a) disposing on said prosthesis a radiopaque marker having a predetermined shape that differs depending on rotational orientation of said prosthesis,

(b) detecting said marker during insertion of said prosthesis into the lumen using a detector outside the body to create a shape image of said marker,

(c) comparing said shape image to said predetermined shape in order to determine the rotational orientation of said prosthesis, and

(d) optionally adjusting the rotational orientation of said prosthesis based on said image.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 whereto said radiopaque marker comprises a radiopaque element attached to one end of said stent.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said element is a platinum wire.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said element is a gold wire.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said radiopaque marker comprises a radiopaque tube disposed around a part of said stent.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said tube is platinum.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said tube is gold.

8. A method of controlling rotational orientation of an endoluminal prosthesis during the implantation thereof, comprising disposing on said prosthesis a radiopaque marker having a shape differing dependent on a rotational orientation of said prosthesis, inserting said prosthesis to its intended implantation location, viewing said marker to determine the rotational orientation thereof by observation of the shape of said marker and comparing said shape to a known rotational position associated with said shape and rotating said prosthesis, if said rotational position is other than the intended rotational position, until the intended rotational position is indicated by the viewed shape of said radiopaque marker.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said step of disposing on said prosthesis a radiopaque marker comprises disposing on said prosthesis a radiopaque marker having a substantially "V" shaped configuration.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said step of disposing on said prosthesis a radiopaque marker comprises disposing on said prosthesis a radiopaque marker having a substantially inverted "V" shaped configuration.