Stent for expanding body's lumen

• US 6,241,757 B1
• Filed: 02/03/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: StenTech, Inc. (Interlatin SA de CV)
• Original Assignee: Solco Surgical Instruments Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Ho Young, Choi, Sung Pil, Song, Sang Woo, An, Sung Soon, Kim, Chel Seng, Kim, Tae Hyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, HIEU
• Application Number:
  US09/017,773
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/12, 623/1.1, 623/1.15, 623/1.16, 623/1.17, 623/1.32, 623/1.33, 606/198, 606/195, 606/194
• US Class Current: 623/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0077 Special surfaces of prostheses, e.g. for improving ingrowth A61F2/30767 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9528 for retrieval of stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0078 hyperboloidal
• CPC Class Codes: D04C 1/06 Braid or lace serving particular purposes
• CPC Class Codes: D04C 1/08 Tulle fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D04G 1/06 using a single thread and a series of threads
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2509/06 Vascular grafts; stents

Abstract

A stent for expanding a lumen of a body having a structural stability along the length of the stent, as well as a good expandable force. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the stent is made of a single length of a filament and includes zigzag sections, in which the filament is wound in a zigzag manner, disposed on both end portions of the stent; and a spiral section, in which the filament is wound in a spiral manner, disposed between the zigzag sections. The zigzag section includes a plurality of bands. Each of the bands includes a series of straight portions, peak portions, and valley portions, the peak and valley portions being integrally engaged with the straight portions, and each of the bands is disposed along a circumferential direction of the stent on a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof; and each valley portion of the bands is twisted with a peak portion of an adjacent band. Also, the spiral section includes a body portion formed in such a way that the filament crosses in a spiral pattern to form a plurality of segments with the filament being not engaged with each other, and upper and lower end portions having a plurality of bent points.

Claims

1. A stent for expanding a lumen of a body, the stent being made up of a single length of a filament and including a plurality of bands formed in a zigzag pattern, wherein:

each of the bands includes a series of straight portions, peak portions, and valley portions, the peak and valley portions being integrally engaged with the straight portions, and each of the bands being disposed along a circumferential direction of the stent on a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the stent;

each peak portion that is adjacent to another band being twisted with a respective valley portion of the other band; and

an initial portion of each band other than an initial band being an extension from a last straight portion of a previous adjacent band.

2. The stent as claimed in claim 1, wherein upper and lower end portions of the stent have a flare shape in which a diameter is increased toward a distal end thereof to prevent the stent from migrating inside the lumen.

3. The stent as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower end portions of the stent have a larger diameter than a middle portion of the stent.

4. The stent as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filament is made of a Ni—

Ti alloy.

5. The stent as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stent is covered or wrapped with a flexible material.

6. The stent as claimed in claim 1, further comprising on one end thereof a retrieving member by which the stent is removed from the lumen.

7. The stent as claimed in claim 6, wherein the retrieving member comprises a plurality of wires attached to the one end of the stent.

8. The stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said each peak portion is twisted at least once around the respective valley portion of the other band.

9. The stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said each peak portion is twisted with a single respective valley portion of the other band.

10. A stent for expanding a lumen of a body, the stent being made of a single length of a filament, the stent comprising:

a body portion formed in such a way that the filament crosses in a spiral pattern to form a plurality of segments with the segments being not engaged with each other; and

upper and lower end portions having a plurality of bent points;

wherein the number of the bent points of the upper end portion is equal with the number of the bent points of the lower end portion, and any one segment passes alternately on and under other segments which are wound along a longitudinal axis of the stent in a spiral direction so that cross points of the segments form a plurality of meshes.

11. The stent as claimed in claim 10, wherein the upper and lower end portions of the stent have a flare shape in which a diameter is increased toward a distal end thereof to prevent the stent from migrating inside the lumen.

12. The stent as claimed in claim 10, wherein the upper and lower end portions of the stent have a larger diameter than a middle portion of the stent.

13. The stent as claimed in claim 10, wherein the filament is made of a Ni—

Ti alloy.

14. The stent as claimed in claim 10, wherein the stent is covered or wrapped with a flexible material.

15. The stent as claimed in claim 10, further comprising on one end a retrieving member by which the stent is removed from the lumen.

16. The stent as claimed in claim 15, wherein the retrieving member comprises a plurality of wires attached to the one end of the stent.

17. A stent for expanding a lumen of a body, the stent being made from a single length of filament, the stent comprising:

zigzag sections, in which the filament is wound in a zigzag manner, disposed on both end portions of the stent, each of the zigzag sections including a plurality of bands, each of the bands including alternate peaks and valleys, each peak of one band being twisted together with a single respective valley of an adjacent band; and

a spiral section, in which the filament is wound in a spiral manner, disposed between the zigzag sections.

26. The stent as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a zigzag section formed in a middle portion of the spiral section.

27. The stent as claimed in claim 17, wherein the end portions of the stent have a flare shape in which a diameter is increased toward a distal end thereof to prevent the stent from migrating inside the lumen.

28. The stent as claimed in claim 17, wherein the end portions of the stent have a larger diameter than a middle portion of the stent.

29. The stent as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filament is made of a Ni—

Ti alloy.

30. The stent as claimed in claim 17, wherein the stent is covered or wrapped with a flexible material.

31. The stent as claimed in claim 17, further comprising on one end a retrieving member by which the stent is removed from the lumen.

18. A stent for expanding a lumen of a body, the stent being made of a single length of filament, the stent comprising:

zigzag sections, in which the filament is wound in a zigzag manner, disposed on both end portions of the stent, each of the zigzag sections including a plurality of bands, each of the bands including a series of straight portions, peak portions, and valley portions, the peak and valley portions being integrally engaged with the straight portions, each of the bands being disposed along a circumferential direction of the stent on a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof, and each valley portion of the bands being twisted with a peak portion of an adjacent band; and

a spiral section, in which the filament is wound in a spiral manner, disposed between the zigzag sections.

19. A stent for expanding a lumen of a body, the stent being made of a single length of filament, the stent comprising:

zigzag sections, in which the filament is wound in a zigzag manner, disposed on both end portions of the stent; and

a spiral section, in which the filament is wound in a spiral manner, disposed between the zigzag sections, the spiral section including,

a body portion formed in such a way that the filament crosses in a spiral pattern to form a plurality of unengaged segments, and

upper and lower end portions having a plurality of bent points.

20. A stent for expanding a lumen of a body, comprising:

bands constructed from a single length of a filament;

each of the bands including alternate peaks and valleys; and

each peak of one band being twisted together with a single respective valley of an adjacent band.

21. The stent of claim 20 wherein the bands are cylindrical.

22. The stent of claim 20 wherein each of the bands includes straight portions of the filament respectively disposed between each peak and each respective adjacent valley.

23. The stent of claim 20 wherein each of the valleys comprises a respective straight portion of the filament.

24. The stent of claim 20 wherein each peak of one band is twisted at least once around the single respective valley of the adjacent band.

25. The stent of claim 20, further comprising:

a mid portion having first and second opposite sides;

a first end portion connected to the first side of the mid portion;

a second end portion connected to the second side of the mid portion;

wherein the bands are cylindrical and have respective diameters; and

wherein bands that compose the first and second end portions have respective diameters that are larger than the diameter of a band that composes the mid portion.

32. The stent as claimed in claim 24, wherein the retrieving member comprises a plurality of wires attached to the one end of the stent.