Stent combination
First Claim
1. An unexpanded intraluminal stent which is radially expandable to an operative configuration in which it provides interior support for a blood vessel, which stent comprisesa tubular structure capable of being radially expanded from a smaller diameter unexpanded configuration to a larger diameter fully expanded configuration without substantially any shortening of its axial length, said structure being formed of a malleable material which in its fully expanded configuration will effectively resist return to a smaller diameter condition when subject to normal forces acting within the body of a mammal, said structure constituting an open framework which includes a plurality of axially extending leg means that extend from one axial end to the other of said tubular structure, said leg means each including a plurality of leg segments which are interconnected with one another in the fully expanded configuration at an angle of between about 120°
- and 140°
in a zig-zag pattern, and said legs being spaced apart from one another in the fully expanded configuration by a plurality of open diamond-shaped cells which are axially unconnected to one another, at least one vertex of each of said diamond-shaped cells being connected to at least one of said legs, wherein the leg do not form part of the diamond-shaped cells.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Radially expandable intraluminal stents (11) suitable for providing interior support within a human blood vessel are disclosed. A material (33′) used to construct the stent (11) is formed into diamond cells (35). The diamond cells (35) each have arms (37) of equal length. Diamond cells (35) are interconnected to other diamond cells (25) by legs (39, 39a) or to pairs of smaller cells (41) which have a common vertex and four arms (43) of equal length. Needle-like prongs (51, 53) are attached to the diamond cells (35) at their vertex to function as attachment means for a biological membrane (57′).
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An unexpanded intraluminal stent which is radially expandable to an operative configuration in which it provides interior support for a blood vessel, which stent comprises
a tubular structure capable of being radially expanded from a smaller diameter unexpanded configuration to a larger diameter fully expanded configuration without substantially any shortening of its axial length, said structure being formed of a malleable material which in its fully expanded configuration will effectively resist return to a smaller diameter condition when subject to normal forces acting within the body of a mammal, said structure constituting an open framework which includes a plurality of axially extending leg means that extend from one axial end to the other of said tubular structure, said leg means each including a plurality of leg segments which are interconnected with one another in the fully expanded configuration at an angle of between about 120° - and 140°
in a zig-zag pattern, andsaid legs being spaced apart from one another in the fully expanded configuration by a plurality of open diamond-shaped cells which are axially unconnected to one another, at least one vertex of each of said diamond-shaped cells being connected to at least one of said legs, wherein the leg do not form part of the diamond-shaped cells. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- and 140°
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5. An unexpanded intraluminal stent which is radially expandable to an operative configuration in which it provides interior support for a blood vessel, which stent comprises
a tubular structure capable of being radially expanded from a smaller diameter unexpanded configuration to a larger diameter fully expanded configuration without any substantial shortening of its axial length, said structure being formed of a malleable material which in its fully expanded configuration will effectively resist return to a smaller diameter condition when subject to normal forces acting within the body of a mammal, said structure constituting an open framework which includes a plurality of axially extending leg means that extend from one axial end to the other of said tubular structure, said leg means each including a plurality of leg segments which are interconnected with one another in the fully expanded configuration at an angle of between about 120° - and 140°
in a zig-zag pattern, andsaid legs being spaced apart from one another in the fully expanded configuration by a plurality of spacers which include open diamond-shaped cells that are connected at one vertex to at least one of said legs and unconnected to one another in an axial direction, and said spacers each comprising a pair of diamond-shaped cells which each have four arms and a common vertex, said pair being aligned transverse to the axis of said tubular structure. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
- and 140°
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9. An unexpanded intraluminal stent which is radially expandable to an operative configuration in which it provides interior support for a blood vessel, which stent comprises
a tubular structure capable of being radially expanded from a smaller diameter unexpanded configuration to a larger diameter fully expanded configuration without substantially shortening its axial length, said structure being formed of a malleable material which in its expanded configuration will effectively resist return to a smaller diameter condition when subject to normal forces acting within the body of a mammal, said structure being an open unitary framework which includes a plurality of axially extending legs which extend from axial end to the other end of said tubular structure, and a plurality of open diamond-shaped cells connected at vertices to said adjacent legs, which cells are unconnected to one another in an axial direction, wherein the legs do not form part of the diamond-shaped cells.
Specification