Implanting stent

• US 6,200,337 B1
• Filed: 11/18/1998
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nobuyoshi, Masakiyo, Asaka, Toshinari, Moriuchi, Yousuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Prebilic, Paul B.
• Application Number:
  US09/195,437
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/12, 623/1.16, 623/23.7, 623/1.15, 623/1.17, 606/191, 606/195, 606/198
• US Class Current: 623/1.16
• 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 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91516 the meander having a change in frequency along the band
• 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 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9155 Adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91566 connected trough to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0013 Horseshoe-shaped, e.g. crescent-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped

Abstract

A stent in the form of a generally tubular member has a diameter allowing for insertion into a body passageway and is radially expandable upon application of an outward force. A series of annular units are axially arranged to construct the stent. Each annular unit includes a plurality of generally ellipsoidal or polygonal elements equiangularly arranged around the stent axis, the elements being axially elongate and having a center opening. A tie member connects opposed ends of adjacent elements. Adjacent annular units are interconnected at their tie members by a connecting member.

Claims

1. A stent for body implanting in the form of a generally tubular member having an axis and a diameter allowing for insertion into a body passageway and radially expandable upon application of a radially outward extending force from the interior of the tubular member, said stent comprising a series of annular units arranged in an axial direction of the stent, each said annular unit comprising a plurality of closed cell generally rhombic elements arranged so as to surround the stent axis, said elements being elongate in an axial direction of the stent and having a center generally rhombic opening, and a corresponding plurality of tie members each connecting circumferentially opposed ends of adjacent elements, adjacent annular units being interconnected at their tie members by at least one connecting member, and wherein two adjacent generally rhombic elements of one annular unit and the tie member connecting them define therebetween a generally V-shaped or trapezoidal space into which an axial end portion of one generally rhombic element of an adjacent annular unit extends.

2. A stent of claim 1 wherein annular units in end regions of the stent have a lesser wall thickness than annular units in an intermediate region.

3. The stent of claim 1 wherein said generally rhombic elements have a smaller cross-sectional area at axially opposed ends than the remainder of each said rhombic element.

4. The stent of claim 1 wherein adjacent annular units are interconnected by only one connecting member.

5. The stent of claim 4 wherein said connecting members are helically spaced apart with respect to the axis of the stent.

6. The stent of claim 1 wherein the annular units are made of a metal material and have been annealed.

7. The stent of claim 1 wherein when the stent is longitudinally cut parallel to the stent axis, the connecting members are inclined at an angle with respect to a longitudinal direction of the stent.

8. The stent of claim 1 wherein said elements of the annular units at axially opposed ends of the stent have a generally semi-ellipsoidal shape at their outer half.

9. The stent of claim 1 wherein an axial center of a side of one generally rhombic element is connected to an axial center of a side of an adjacent generally rhombic element by one of the tie members.

10. A stent for body implanting in the form of a generally tubular member having an axis and a diameter allowing for insertion into a body passageway and radially expandable upon application of a radially outward extending force from the interior of the tubular member, said stent comprising a series of annular units arranged in an axial direction of the stent, each said annular unit comprising a plurality of generally ellipsoidal or polygonal elements arranged so as to surround the stent axis, said elements being elongate in an axial direction of the stent and having a center opening, and a corresponding plurality of tie members each connecting circumferentially opposed ends of adjacent elements, adjacent annular units being interconnected at their tie members by at least one connecting member, and wherein two adjacent generally ellipsoidal or polygonal elements of one annular unit and the tie member connecting them define therebetween a space into which an axial end of one generally ellipsoidal or polygonal element of an adjacent annular unit extends and wherein units adjacent annular units are interconnected by only one connecting member.

11. The stent of claim 10 wherein annular units in end regions of the stent have a lesser wall thickness than annular units in an intermediate region.

12. The stent of claim 10 wherein said generally ellipsoidal or polygonal elements have a smaller cross-sectional area at axially opposed ends than the remainder of each said element.

13. The stent of claim 10 wherein said connecting members are helically spaced apart with respect to the axis of the stent.

14. The stent of claim 10 wherein the annular units are made of a metal material and have been annealed.

15. The stent of claim 10 wherein when the stent is longitudinally cut parallel to the stent axis, the connecting members are inclined at an angle with respect to a longitudinal direction of the stent.

16. The stent of claim 10 wherein said elements of the annular units at axially opposed ends of the stent have a generally semi-ellipsoidal shape at their outer half.

17. The stent of claim 10 wherein an axial center of a side of one generally ellipsoidal or polygonal element is connected to an axial center of a side of an adjacent generally ellipsoidal or polygonal element by one of the tie members.

26. The stent of claim 16 wherein the two adjacent rhombic element of said one annular unit are laterally offset from the one rhombic element of the adjacent annular unit such that the rhombic elements are partially overlapped in the axial direction of the stent.

18. A stent for body implanting in the form of a generally tubular member having an axis and a diameter allowing for insertion into a body passageway and radially expandable upon application of a radially outward extending force from the interior of the tubular member, said stent comprising a series of annular units arranged in an axial direction of the stent, each said annular unit comprising a plurality of generally ellipsoidal or polygonal elements arranged so as to surround the stent axis, said elements being elongate in an axial direction of the stent and having a center opening, and a corresponding plurality of tie members each connecting circumferentially opposed ends of adjacent elements, adjacent annular units being interconnected at their tie members by at least one connecting member, and wherein two adjacent generally ellipsoidal or polygonal elements of one annular unit and the tie member connecting them define therebetween a space into which an axial end of one generally ellipsoidal or polygonal element of an adjacent annular unit extends and wherein when the stent is longitudinally cut parallel to the stent axis, the connecting members are inclined at an angle with respect to a longitudinal direction of the stent.

19. The stent of claim 18 wherein annular units in end regions of the stent have a lesser wall thickness than annular units in an intermediate region.

20. The stent of claim 18 wherein said generally ellipsoidal or polygonal elements have a smaller cross-sectional area at axially opposed ends than the remainder of each said element.

21. The stent of claim 18 wherein adjacent annular units are interconnected by only one connecting member.

22. The stent of claim 18 wherein said connecting members are helically spaced apart with respect to the axis of the stent.

23. The stent of claim 18 wherein the annular units are made of a metal material and have been annealed.

24. The stent of claim 18 wherein said elements of the annular units at axially opposed ends of the stent have a generally semi-ellipsoidal shape at their outer half.

25. The stent of claim 18 wherein an axial center of a side of one generally ellipsoidal or polygonal element is connected to an axial center of a side of an adjacent generally ellipsoidal or polygonal element by one of the tie members.