Stent aneurysm treatment system and method

• US 6,361,558 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Codman & Shurtleff Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Cordis Neurovascular, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Mitelberg, Vladimir, Jones, Donald K., Hieshima, Grant
• Primary Examiner(s): Dawson, Glenn K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAYNARD, JENNIFER J
• Application Number:
  US09/567,318
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 606/1, 606/108, 606/159, 606/191-200, 604/507, 623/1, 623/11, 623/12, 623/1.1, 623/1.11, 623/1.16, 623/1.2, 623/1.22, 623/1.35, 128/898
• US Class Current: 623/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12118 for positioning in conjunction with a stent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1214 Coils or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00867 shape memory effect
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0095 Packages or dispensers for prostheses or other implants for intraocular lenses A61F2/1691; for dental surgery A61C19/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/86 Stents in a form characterised by the wire-like elements; Stents in the form characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3008 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/823 Stents, different from stent-grafts, adapted to cover an aneurysm
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers

Abstract

A vascular stent for opening blood vessel occlusions and for providing support to damaged areas of blood vessel sites includes a proximal end defining a first lumen opening. The helical stent is constructed from a resilient material and has a body portion extending from the proximal end to define a lumen. A distal end defines a second lumen opening a predetermined axial distance from the first lumen opening. The stent is maintained in a stretched linear state when in a catheter for delivery to a vascular site, and resiliently expands into a relaxed helical shape when released from the catheter. Various embodiments of the present invention are disclosed, including a stent made of a wire having a flattened cross-section, a helical wire stent having a flat ribbon to span between adjacent loops of wire, multiple intertwined stents in the same blood vessel. A preferred embodiment of the present invention involves treating an aneurysm formed at a vessel branching by arranging multiple helical wire stents in each vessel.

Claims

1. A vascular stent system for treating a blood vessel defect near a position where a first and second blood vessel branch off from a parent vessel comprising:

a first stent formed of a wire having a proximal end and a distal end, said first stent being constructed from a resilient material which upon being stretched takes the form of a generally elongated helical shape having a large pitch and upon being released returns to a generally helical shape having a small pitch;

a second stent formed of a wire having a proximal end and a distal end, said second stent being constructed from a resilient material which upon being stretched takes the form of a generally elongated helical shape having a large pitch and upon being released returns to a generally helical shape having a small pitch;

a catheter having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen therethrough;

said first and second stents being disposed within the lumen of said catheter and said first and second stents being interlocked and interwound, wherein upon deployment the first and second stents separate from each other if unconstrained, but remain interlocked and interwound if constrained within a single vessel.

2. The vascular stent system as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second stents are joined at one end.

3. The vascular stent system as defined in claim 2, wherein said first and second stents are formed from a nickel titanium alloy.

4. The vascular stent system as defined in claim 3, wherein said first and second stents are comprised of radiopaque material.

5. The vascular stent system as defined in claim 4, wherein said first and second stents form counter helixes.