Stent

• US 6,358,274 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2000
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ev3 Peripheral Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Intratherapeutics Incorporated (Sulzer Medica)
• Inventors: Thompson, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milano, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/545,810
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.15, 623/1.17, 623/1.18, 623/1.19, 623/1.2
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• 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 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an intraluminal stent including a reticulated tube having an un-deployed diameter and expandable to an enlarged diameter. When the tube is at the un-deployed diameter, the tube has cell-defining portions with opposing surfaces defining an open cell bounded by the cell-defining portions. The cell has a major axis and a minor axis. The cell-defining portions include first and second longitudinal segments each having a longitudinal axis extending parallel to and positioned on opposite sides of the cell major axis. The longitudinal segments have an undulating pattern to define a plurality of peaks and valleys spaced outwardly and inwardly, respectively, from the longitudinal axes. The first and second longitudinal segments are interconnected at opposite ends.

Claims

1. A stent comprising:

a stent body expandable between an un-deployed orientation and a deployed orientation;

the stent body including a cell defining portion that defines an open cell, the open cell being defined relative to a first reference axis and a second reference axis aligned perpendicular to the first reference axis;

the cell defining portion including first and second segments positioned on opposite sides of the first reference axis, the segments each extending in an undulating pattern that extends toward and away from the first reference axis and includes a plurality of peaks and valleys, and the cell defining portion including at least two sets of opposing, non-connected valleys;

the stent body further including two spaced-apart first connection locations positioned on the first reference axis for connecting the cell defining portion to first adjacent cell defining portions, and the stent body further including two spaced-apart second connection locations positioned on the second reference axis for connecting the cell defining portion to second adjacent cell defining portions; and

the cell defining portion being symmetrical about both the first reference axis and the second reference axis.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the stent body extends along a longitudinal axis, and the second reference axis is generally parallel relative to the longitudinal axis.

3. The stent of claim 2, wherein the first adjacent cell defining portions are positioned axially opposite sides of the cell defining portion, and the second cell defining portions are positioned on circumferentially opposite sides of the cell defining portion.

4. The stent of claim 1, wherein the cell defining portion is one of a plurality of identical cell defining portions.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein the second connection locations are located at peaks of the cell defining portion.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first and second connection locations each have lengths that are greater than two times as long as a common width W of each of the segments, the lengths being measured in a direction parallel to the first reference axis.

7. The stent of claim 6, wherein the lengths are measured in a circumferential direction relative to the stent body.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first and second connection locations each have widths that are at most equal to a common width W of each of the segments, the widths being measured in a direction parallel to the second reference axis.

9. The stent of claim 8, wherein the widths of the first and second connection locations are measured in an axial direction relative to the stent body.

10. The stent of claim 6, wherein the first and second connection locations each have widths that are at most equal to the common width W of each of the segments, the widths being measured in a direction parallel to the second reference axis.

11. The stent of claim 10, wherein the widths of the first and second connection locations are measured in an axial direction relative to the stent body.

12. A stent comprising:

a stent body expandable between an un-deployed orientation and a deployed orientation, the stent body extending along a longitudinal axis;

the stent body including a cell defining portion that defines an open cell, the cell defining portion including axially spaced-apart first and second segments, the segments each extending about a circumference of the stent body in an undulating pattern that includes a plurality of peaks and valleys, and the cell defining portion including at least two sets of opposing, non-connected valleys; and

the stent body further including a pair of first connection locations positioned on circumferentially opposite sides of the cell defining portion for connecting the cell defining portion to circumferentially adjacent cell defining portions, the first connection locations each having lengths that are greater than two times as long as a common width W of each of the segments, the lengths being measured in a circumferential direction relative to the stent body.

13. The stent of claim 12, wherein the first connection locations each have widths that are at most equal to the common width W of each of the segments, the widths being measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent body.

14. The stent of claim 12, wherein the stent body further includes a pair of second connection locations positioned on axially opposite sides of the cell defining portion for connecting the cell defining portion to axially adjacent cell defining portions, the second connection locations each having lengths that are greater than two times as long as the common width W of each of the segments, the lengths being measured in a circumferential direction relative to the stent body.

15. The stent of claim 14, wherein the second connection locations each have widths that are at most equal to the common width W of each of the segments, the widths being measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent body.

16. The stent of claim 14, wherein the first and second connection locations each have widths that are at most equal to the common width W of each of the segments, the widths being measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent body.

17. A stent comprising:

a stent body expandable between an un-deployed orientation and a deployed orientation, the stent body extending along a longitudinal axis;

the stent body including a cell defining portion that defines an open cell, the cell defining portion including axially spaced-apart first and second segments, the segments each extending about a circumference of the stent body in an undulating pattern that includes a plurality of peaks and valleys, and the cell defining portion including at least two sets of opposing, non-connected valleys; and

the stent body further including a pair of first connection locations positioned on axially opposite sides of the cell defining portion for connecting the cell defining portion to axially adjacent cell defining portions, the first connection locations each having widths that are at most equal to a common width W of each of the segments, the widths being measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent body.

18. The stent of claim 17, wherein the stent body further includes a pair of second connection locations positioned on circumferentially opposite sides of the cell defining portion for connecting the cell defining portion to circumferentially adjacent cell defining portions, the second connection locations each having widths that are at most equal to the common width W of each of the segments, the widths being measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent body.

19. The stent of claim 17, wherein the first connection locations include lengths that are greater than two times as long as the common width W of each of the segments, the lengths being measured in a circumferential direction relative to the stent body.