Stent apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A stent for disposition in a body passageway to allow delivery of a solution to the passageway walls, said stent comprisingan elongate, hollow flexible wire, a distal end of which is formed into a generally gathered annular lattice with a central void, extending from a dispatch location of the wire, for disposition at a target location in the passageway, said lattice including perforations through which solution may flow from the hollow of the wire, said wire further including a discontinuity located generally at or near the dispatch location,means for mechanically stimulating the wire to cause detachment of the lattice at the discontinuity,an expandable balloon disposed in the void of the lattice which, when expanded, forces the lattice outwardly to contact the passageway walls at the target location, andmeans for selectively expanding and contracting the balloon.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A stent for disposition in a body passageway or duct to maintain the duct walls apart, for example, to allow the flow of fluid therethrough, includes an elongate flexible support wire formed into an annular lattice having a central void, for disposition at a target location in the duct. Also included is an elongate flexible connecting wire joined at a distal end to the annular lattice and having a discontinuity for severing when supplied with a perturbation signal, a balloon catheter having an expandable section disposable in the void of the annular lattice so that when the expandable section is expanded, it forces the annular lattice radially outwardly to contact and hold apart the duct walls, and a fluid supply for supplying fluid to the expandable section of the balloon catheter to cause it to expand. A perturbation signal source is provided for supplying the perturbation signal to the discontinuity of the connecting wire to cause severance thereof.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A stent for disposition in a body passageway to allow delivery of a solution to the passageway walls, said stent comprising
an elongate, hollow flexible wire, a distal end of which is formed into a generally gathered annular lattice with a central void, extending from a dispatch location of the wire, for disposition at a target location in the passageway, said lattice including perforations through which solution may flow from the hollow of the wire, said wire further including a discontinuity located generally at or near the dispatch location, means for mechanically stimulating the wire to cause detachment of the lattice at the discontinuity, an expandable balloon disposed in the void of the lattice which, when expanded, forces the lattice outwardly to contact the passageway walls at the target location, and means for selectively expanding and contracting the balloon.
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10. A stent for disposition in a duct to maintain the duct walls apart to allow the flow of fluid therethrough, said stent comprising
an elongate flexible support wire formed into an annular lattice having a central void, for disposition at a target location in the duct, an elongate flexible connecting wire joined at a distal end to the annular lattice and having a discontinuity for severing when supplied with a mechanical perturbation signal, a balloon catheter having an expandable section disposable in the void of the annular lattice so that when the expandable section is expanded, it forces the annular lattice radially outwardly to contact and hold apart the duct walls, means for selectively expanding the expandable section of the balloon catheter, and means for supplying a mechanical perturbation signal to the discontinuity of the connecting wire to cause severance thereof.
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18. A stent system for disposition in a body duct to maintain the duct walls apart, said stent system comprising:
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a generally tubular-shaped stent for disposition at a target location in the duct, an elongate flexible connecting wire joined at a distal end to the stent for preventing unwanted migration of the stent, said wire including a discontinuity for severing when supplied with a mechanical perturbation signal, and means for supplying a mechanical perturbation signal to the discontinuity of the connecting wire to cause severance thereof. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification