Endoprosthesis having multiple bridging junctions and procedure

• US 5,913,897 A
• Filed: 10/21/1997
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cordis Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cordis Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Norman F. Jr., Corso, Philip P. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milano, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US08/955,027
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/11, 623/12
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• 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 2002/91525 within the whole structure different bands showing different meander characteristics, e.g. frequency or amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0013 Horseshoe-shaped, e.g. crescent-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped

Abstract

An endoprosthesis is provided which presents an endoprosthesis body of a plurality of full-circle helical sections exhibiting a repeating pattern of undulations that follow a generally helical axis. Adjacent full-circle windings each have at least one bridging junction joining together apex-like portions of adjacent full-circle sections. In a preferred arrangement, a plurality of these bridging junctions define a substantially in-line helical pattern of bridging junctions along the endoprosthesis or stent. One, two, three or more of these substantially in-line helical patterns can be provided. Also provided is a procedure by which the endoprosthesis or stent is implanted by deployment with a suitable device, the deployment expanding the pattern of undulations in a uniform manner to provide an especially consistent support surface throughout the endoprosthesis.

Claims

1. An implantable transluminal endoprosthesis comprising:

a tube-like member having a plurality of full-circle helical sections which extend through 360° and

which are substantially continuous with each other along a generally helical axis of the tube-like member;

said tube-like member includes a repeating pattern of undulations which follow said generally helical axis, said pattern of undulations having a plurality of substantially equally sized and shaped bendable segments alternating with bendable connecting portions to impart radial expandability to the endoprosthesis, the endoprosthesis having an unexpanded transluminal insertion circumference and an expanded deployed circumference which is greater than said unexpanded circumference;

said plurality of full-circle helical sections are generally adjacent to each other, and respective ones of said bendable connecting portions of adjacent full-circle helical sections are adjacent to each other so as to define adjacent bendable connecting portions;

said bendable segments are positioned in a generally closed orientation with respect to each other at said unexpanded circumference and in a generally opened orientation with respect to each other and with respect to said bendable connecting portions at said expanded circumference; and

a plurality of bridging junctions join less than all of said adjacent bendable connecting portions of adjacent full-circle helical sections to each other, said bridging junctions being present along the length of the tube-like member, each of said full-circle helical sections has at least one of said plurality of bridging junctions, and the remainder of said adjacent bendable connecting portions are not joined together.

2. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bridging junctions define a substantially in-line helical pattern including said bridging junctions.

3. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 2, wherein said substantially in-line helical pattern includes bridging junctions alternating with ones of said adjacent bendable connecting portions which are not joined together.

4. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bridging junctions define two substantially in-line helical patterns of bridging junctions along the endoprosthesis, said helical patterns of bridging junctions being longitudinally spaced from each other.

5. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 4, wherein at least one of said substantially in-line helical patterns includes bridging junctions alternating with ones of said adjacent bendable connecting portions which are not joined together.

6. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bridging junctions define three substantially in-line helical patterns of bridging junctions along the endoprosthesis, said helical patterns of bridging junctions being longitudinally spaced from each other.

7. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bridging junctions define a plurality of substantially in-line helical patterns of bridging junctions along the endoprosthesis, said helical patterns of bridging junctions being longitudinally spaced from each other.

8. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 7, wherein at least one of said substantially in-line helical patterns includes bridging junctions alternating with ones of said adjacent bendable connecting portions which are not joined together.

9. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said endoprosthesis tube-like member has a length which decreases when the endoprosthesis is expanded from said unexpanded circumference to said expanded circumference.

10. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bridging junctions defines at least one substantially in-line helical pattern of bridging junctions following a pitch angle along the endoprosthesis tube-like member and defined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tube-like member, and said pitch angle of the in-line helical pattern of bridging junctions increases as the endoprosthesis expands from its unexpanded circumference to its expanded circumference.

11. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 10, wherein the generally helical axis of the endoprosthesis tube-like member has a helix winding angle defined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tube-like member, and said helix winding angle increases as said endoprosthesis expands from said unexpanded circumference.

12. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said repeating pattern of undulations defines a generally sinusoidal pattern.

13. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bendable segments each have a pair of legs which extend from and are integral with one of said bendable connecting portions.

14. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 13, wherein each said bridging junction is integral with a pair of said adjacent connecting portions.

15. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 14, wherein each said bridging junction also extends between and away from said pair of adjacent bendable connecting portions.

16. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bendable segments, bendable connecting portions and bridging junctions all lie along a single substantially cylindrical plane defined by the endoprosthesis tube-like member.

17. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of bendable segments each have a pair of legs and wherein said repeating pattern of undulations changes during expansion from said unexpanded circumference to said expanded circumference to define an expanded repeating pattern in which alternating said legs of the bendable segments are generally parallel to each other.

18. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein the endoprosthesis tube-like member defines an outwardly facing supporting surface area that comprises between about 12% and about 15% of a cylindrical plane defined by the endoprosthesis, the balance of the cylindrical plane being non-supporting open area.

19. The endoprosthesis in accordance with claim 1, wherein said bridging junctions impart increased hoop strength to said endoprosthesis tube-like member while said repeating pattern of undulations and bridging junctions combine to define an endoprosthesis having compliance properties to follow contours of vessels within which the endoprosthesis is implanted.

20. A procedure for transluminally implanting an endoprosthesis, comprising the steps of:

providing a tube-like member having a plurality of full-circle helical sections which extend through 360° and

which are substantially continuous with each other along a generally helical axis of the tube-like member, the tube-like member having a repeating pattern of undulations which follow the generally helical axis, the pattern of undulations having a plurality of substantially equally sized and shaped bendable segments alternating with bendable connecting portions to impart radial expandability to the endoprosthesis, the bendable connecting portions of one of the full-circle helical sections are generally adjacent to respective bendable connecting portions of an adjacent full-circle helical section to define a plurality of adjacent pairs of bendable connecting portions;

said providing step includes integrally forming bridging junctions between selected ones of said pairs of connecting portions, said integrally forming step joining at least one, and less than all, of said pairs of connecting portions along each of said adjacent full-circle helical sections to form an endoprosthesis;

positioning the endoprosthesis along a transluminal insertion assembly such that the endoprosthesis is at an unexpanded circumference thereof;

transluminally inserting the transluminal insertion assembly having the endoprosthesis into a body vessel and stopping the inserting step when the endoprosthesis is in general alignment with a diseased portion of the body vessel;

manipulating the transluminal insertion assembly to have the endoprosthesis expand to an expanded circumference thereof to have the endoprosthesis move into supporting engagement with the diseased portion of the body vessel, said step including substantially uniformly opening the repeating pattern of undulations in order to thereby uniformly support the entirety of the diseased portion; and

removing the transluminal insertion assembly from the body passageway while leaving the endoprosthesis with its expanded circumference at the diseased portion the body vessel.

21. The procedure in accordance with claim 20, wherein said step by which the endoprosthesis expands to the expanded circumference includes opening the repeating pattern of undulations such that substantially equally sized and shaped bendable segments thereof move apart from one another and exhibit an expanded orientation at which alternating ones of said bendable segments are generally parallel to each other.

22. The procedure in accordance with claim 20, wherein said step of integrally forming includes defining a substantially in-line helical pattern of bridging junctions.

23. The procedure in accordance with claim 20, wherein said step of integrally forming includes forming together a plurality of said pairs of connecting portions to define a plurality of substantially in-line helical patterns of bridging junctions which are generally longitudinally spaced from one another.

24. The procedure in accordance with claim 20, wherein said step by which the endoprosthesis expands presents said endoprosthesis as a supporting surface area making up between about 12 percent and about 15 percent of a cylindrical plane defined by the endoprosthesis when expanded, which supporting surface area percent range is present throughout the tube-like member.