Stretchable anti-buckling coiled-sheet stent

• US 6,290,720 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Endotex Interventional Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Endotex Interventional Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Spiridigliozzi, John, Khosravi, Farhad, Patel, Himanshu N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Willse, David H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GHERBI, SUZETTE JAIME J
• Application Number:
  US09/406,984
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.22, 623/1.13, 623/1.15, 623/1.19, 623/1.36
• US Class Current: 623/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/848 having means for fixation to the vessel wall, e.g. barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• 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 2/92 Stents in the form of a rolled-up sheet expanding after insertion into the vessel , e.g. with a spiral shape in cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/072 Encapsulated stents, e.g. wire or whole stent embedded in lining
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0008 Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/005 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0066 stapled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

A stent-graft having an exo-skeleton attached to a tubular graft, the tubular graft having a peripheral wall defining a lumen therein extending between first and second ends. The exo-skeleton may assume contracted and enlarged conditions, and includes one or more serpentine elements, each extending both peripherally and axially along at least a portion of the peripheral wall. Coiled-sheet stents are provided on the ends of the tubular graft for anchoring the ends within a body passage. Each serpentine element is a zigzag structure extending peripherally about the peripheral wall, with a plurality of serpentine elements distributed axially along the peripheral wall. The serpentine elements are individually attached to the peripheral wall and/or connector elements may extend between adjacent serpentine elements. Alternatively, each serpentine element may define a generally sinusoidal shape extending axially along the peripheral wall. The tubular graft may have a bifurcated end from which a tubular graft extension segment may extend and to which a docking limb may be attached. A plurality of serpentine elements may also be attached to the extension segment and the docking limb.

Claims

1. A stretchable stent, comprising:

a coiled-up sheet having overlapping inner and outer longitudinal sections, and being radially expandable between a first size and one or more larger sizes, the coiled-up sheet defining a periphery in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof;

a plurality of teeth extending from the inner longitudinal section for engaging openings in the outer longitudinal section to selectively secure the coiled-up sheet in the one or more larger sizes; and

a stretchable portion comprising a plurality of resilient mesh elements extending along a portion of the coiled-up sheet, the mesh elements being adapted to partially recoil about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet when the stent is subjected to radially compressive forces.

2. The stretchable stent of claim 1, wherein the stretchable portion extends longitudinally between first and second ends of the coiled-up sheet.

3. The stretchable stent of claim 1, wherein the stretchable portion comprises a sleeve on an end of the coiled-up sheet.

4. The stretchable stent of claim 1, wherein the coiled-up sheet comprises Nitinol.

5. The stretchable stent of claim 4, wherein the coiled-up sheet is biased to adopt a second size larger than the first size when the Nitinol is in its austenitic phase, whereby the mesh elements define a stretched configuration about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet.

6. The stretchable stent of claim 4, wherein the coiled-up sheet is biased to adopt a third size smaller than the second size when the Nitinol is in a martensitic phase, whereby the mesh elements define an unstretched configuration substantially smaller than the stretched configuration.

7. The stretchable stent of claim 1, wherein the coiled-up sheet comprises an unstretchable portion that is generally incompressible about the periphery.

8. A stretchable stent-graft, comprising:

a tubular graft having a peripheral wall defining a periphery and a lumen therein, the lumen extending axially between first and second ends of the tubular graft; and

a stent comprising a coiled-up sheet on at least one of the first and second ends, the stent comprising a stretchable portion defined by a plurality of plastically deformable elements adapted to partially recoil when the stent is subjected to radially compressive forces.

9. The stretchable stent-graft of claim 8, wherein the stretchable portion extends longitudinally between first and second ends of the stent.

10. The stretchable stent-graft of claim 8, wherein the stretchable portion comprises a sleeve on an end of the coiled-sheet stent exposed beyond the respective end of the tubular graft.

11. The stretchable stent of claim 8, wherein the coiled-up sheet comprises an unstretchable portion that is generally incompressible about the periphery.

12. A stretchable stent, comprising:

a coiled-up sheet having overlapping inner and outer longitudinal sections, and being radially expandable between a first size and one or more larger sizes, the coiled-up sheet defining a periphery in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof;

a plurality of teeth extending from the inner longitudinal section for engaging openings in the outer longitudinal section to selectively secure the coiled-up sheet in the one or more larger sizes; and

a stretchable portion comprising a plurality of resilient mesh elements extending along a portion of the coiled-up sheet, the mesh elements being biased to a stretched configuration assuming an enlarged size about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet, the mesh elements being compressible to an unstretched configuration defining a smaller size about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet than the stretched configuration,

wherein the stretchable portion comprises a sleeve on an end of the coiled-up sheet.

13. A stretchable stent, comprising:

a coiled-up sheet having overlapping inner and outer longitudinal sections, and being radially expandable between a first size and one or more larger sizes, the coiled-up sheet defining a periphery in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof;

a plurality of teeth extending from the inner longitudinal section for engaging openings in the outer longitudinal section to selectively secure the coiled-up sheet in the one or more larger sizes; and

a stretchable portion comprising a plurality of resilient mesh elements extending along a portion of the coiled-up sheet, the mesh elements being biased to a stretched configuration assuming an enlarged size about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet, the mesh elements being compressible to an unstretched con figuration defining a smaller size about the periphery of the coiled-up sheet than the stretched configuration,

wherein the coiled-up sheet comprises an unstretchable portion that is generally incompressible about the periphery.