Biocompatible stent with radiopaque markers

• US 6,312,456 B1
• Filed: 12/05/1997
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Biotronik Mess-Und Therapiegeraete GmbH & Company Ingenieurbuero Berlin (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Biotronik Mess-Und Therapiegeraete GmbH & Company Ingenieurbuero Berlin (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Inventors: Mueller, Heinz, Kranz, Curt
• Primary Examiner(s): McDermott, Corrine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Hieu
• Application Number:
  US08/985,756
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/11, 623/1--, 606/195
• US Class Current: 623/1.13
• 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 2002/91508 the meander having a difference in amplitude 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 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/088 Other specific inorganic materials not covered by A61L31/084 or A61L31/086
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/18 Materials at least partially X-ray or laser opaque

Abstract

A stent, in particular a coronary stent, includes a thin-walled, hollow-cylindrical base body of an X-ray transparent material, the surface area of which has an open-worded, net-shaped design owing to recesses. The stent has at least one X-ray opaque element or region, wherein the X-ray opaque element or the X-ray opaque region extends essentially in a linear direction over at least a portion of the circumference of the stent located at least one end region of the stent while the rest of the stent remains X-ray transparent.

Claims

1. A stent comprising a thin-walled, hollow-cylindrical base body of an X-ray transparent material, having a surface area which has an open-worked, net shaped design owing to recesses, and comprising at least one X-ray opaque element or region which extends essentially in a linear direction over at least a portion of the stent circumference located at at least one end region of the stent while the rest of the stent remains X-ray transparent, wherein the at least one end region comprises curved segments of the surface area of the stent and the segments are themselves composed of an X-ray opaque material.

2. A stent according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray opaque element or the X-ray opaque region extends in the shape of a meandering thread essentially around the complete circumference of the stent.

3. A stent according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray opaque element or the X-ray opaque region is provided on at least one of the end regions and attached on an outside surface of the base body.

4. A stent according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray opaque element is attached to the X-ray transparent base body through laser point-welding.

5. A stent according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray opaque element or the X-ray opaque region is composed from any one of stainless steel, gold, silver, tantalum, and an alloy containing at least one of these metals.

6. A stent according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray transparent base body is essentially composed of titanium and the X-ray opaque element or the X-ray opaque region is essentially composed of tantalum.

7. A stent according to claim 1, including an amorphous silicon carbide coating on an outside surface of the stent which includes the X-ray opaque element or the X-ray opaque region.

8. A stent according to claim 1, wherein the at least one end region comprises curved segments of the surface area of the stent and the segments are themselves composed of an X-ray opaque material.