Catheter system having imaging, balloon angioplasty, and stent deployment capabilities, and methods of use for guided stent deployment

• US 6,074,362 A
• Filed: 06/23/1997
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiovascular Imaging Systems Inc (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Salmon, Stephen M., Garcia, Rizza A., White, David A., Jang, Yue-Teh
• Primary Examiner(s): Coggins, Wynn Wood
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadula, Jennifer R.
• Application Number:
  US08/880,947
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 604/53, 604/96, 604/52, 604/54, 604/158, 604/164, 604/280, 604/284, 604/285, 604/104, 606/191-2, 606/194, 623/1
• US Class Current: 604/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/902 Method of implanting

Abstract

A catheter system has a balloon angioplasty device disposed about a common lumen near its distal end. The balloon catheter is pre-fitted with a stent which is deployed when the balloon is inflated. The common lumen is in communication with multiple lumens within a proximal region of the catheter body to allow for positioning of the catheter over a movable guide wire and convenient delivery of imaging or interventional devices to a desired region of a body passageway being treated. The procedure for stent deployment optionally includes steps of imaging a lumen by ultrasound before and after stent deployment to identify the site at which a stent is needed, to confirm that the stent is being and has been deployed at a longitudinal position which does not overlap a branched segment of the body passageway, and to ensure that the stent has been radially opened to an optimum diameter.

Claims

1. A vascular catheter system for guided placement and implanting of a prosthesis within a body passageway, said system comprising:

a catheter body having proximal and distal ends, and a proximal and distal region, the proximal region having at least two lumens terminating distally at and in communication with a common lumen in the distal region, such that a guidewire and working element when positioned in said at least two lumens of said proximal region may alternately be advanced into said common lumen;

a balloon disposed about the common lumen and communicating with an inflation lumen separate from the common lumen and the two lumens of the proximal region, the inflation lumen extending proximally on the catheter body; and

an expandable prosthesis associated with the balloon, said prosthesis having a first diameter which permits intraluminal delivery of the prosthesis into a body passageway and which places the prosthesis in close proximity to the balloon, and a second expanded diameter upon the application of radial, outwardly extending force from the interior of the prosthesis.

2. The vascular catheter system of claim 1, further comprising a guidewire having a distal end, wherein the guidewire is positionable within the common lumen of the distal region so that the distal end of the guidewire can extend past the distal end of the catheter body, the common lumen being configured to alternately receive either the guidewire or the working element.

3. The vascular catheter system of claim 1, further comprising a removable imaging core having an elongate drive shaft adapted for positioning in the guidewire lumen of said catheter system, a transducer portion connected to a distal portion of the elongate drive shaft, and a proximal connector section connected to a proximal end of the elongate drive shaft adapted to receive electrical signals from a control apparatus for transmission to the transducer via the elongate drive shaft.

4. The vascular catheter system of claim 1, further including a transition region providing for communication between the at least two lumens of the proximal region and the common lumen, the at least two lumens in the proximal region including a work element lumen adapted to receive an ultrasound imaging core and a guidewire lumen adapted to receive a guidewire, and the common lumen being configured to alternately receive said guide wire or imaging core.

5. The vascular catheter system of claim 1 further comprising an elongate member having an ultrasonic imaging transducer at a distal end thereof, said transducer being positioned within said common lumen and radially adjacent said balloon.

6. A vascular catheter system for guided placement and implanting of a prosthesis within a body passageway, said system comprising:

a catheter body having proximal and distal ends, and a proximal, a transition and a distal region the proximal region having a work element lumen adapted to receive an ultrasound imaging core and a guidewire lumen adapted to receive a guidewire, the distal region having a common lumen which terminates proximally at said transition region and is adapted to alternately receive said guide wire or imaging core, and the transition region adapted to communicate the work element lumen and guidewire lumen with the common lumen;

a balloon disposed about the common lumen and communicating with an inflation lumen separate from the common lumen and the two lumens of the proximal region, the inflation lumen extending proximally on the catheter body; and

an expandable prosthesis associated with the balloon, said prosthesis having a first diameter which permits intraluminal delivery of the prosthesis into a body passageway and which places the prosthesis in close proximity to the balloon, and a second expanded diameter upon the application of radial, outwardly extending force from the interior of the prosthesis.

7. The vascular catheter system of claim 6 further comprising an elongate member having an ultrasonic imaging transducer at a distal end thereof, said transducer being positioned within said common lumen and radially adjacent said balloon.