Axially flexible stent

• US 6,162,243 A
• Filed: 01/18/1999
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cordis Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cordis Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chelak, Todd M., Eckert, Ann, Tumarkin, Robert M, Gray, Larry B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, WILLIAM W
• Application Number:
  US09/232,544
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 606/1, 606/108, 606/194, 606/195, 606/198, 606/200, 623/1, 623/12, 623/1.11, 623/1.15
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/885 comprising a coil including a plurality of spiral or helical sections with alternate directions around a central axis
• 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

Abstract

A stent with axial flexibility, in a preferred embodiment, has a longitudinal axis and comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed bands, wherein each band defines a generally continuous wave along a line segment parallel to the longitudinal axis. A plurality of links maintains the bands in a tubular structure. In a further embodiment of the invention, each longitudinally disposed band of the stent is connected, at a plurality of periodic locations, by a short circumferential link to an adjacent band.

Claims

1. A stent having first and second ends with an intermediate section therebetween, and a longitudinal axis both in an unexpanded and an expanded configuration, comprising:

wherein said unexpanded configuration comprises circumferentially spaced, longitudinally disposed struts;

wherein each strut defines a generally continuous wave along said longitudinal axis; and

links for maintaining the struts along said circumference in a tubular structure, wherein the struts and links define an expandable structure having axial flexibility in said unexpanded configuration.

2. A stent having first and second ends with an intermediate section therebetween, the stent further having a longitudinal axis, and both an unexpanded and expanded configuration comprising:

(a) wherein said unexpanded configuration comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed struts, wherein each strut defines a wave along the longitudinal axis;

the spatial frequency of the wave associated with each of the struts being different in a first end region lying proximate to one of said ends in comparison to the spatial frequency of the wave in the intermediate section; and

(b) a plurality of links for maintaining the struts in a tubular structure;

such that the struts and links define an expandable structure having axial flexibility in said unexpanded configuration.

3. A stent having first and second ends with an intermediate section therebetween, and a longitudinal axis, and both an unexpanded and expanded configuration comprising:

wherein said unexpanded configuration comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed wave-shaped struts; and

a plurality of circumferential links for maintaining the struts in a tubular structure, wherein each strut is connected at a plurality of periodic locations by a link to an adjacent strut, each link being axially displaced from any circumferentially adjacent link;

such that the struts and bands define an expandable structure having axial flexibility in said unexpanded configuration, and axial rigidity in said expanded configuration.