Bifurcated axially flexible stent

• US 6,746,476 B1
• Filed: 10/07/1999
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cordis Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cordis Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hojeibane, Hikmat
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Vy Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/819,087
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.11, 623/1.12, 623/1.13, 623/1.14, 623/1.15, 623/1.16, 623/1.17, 623/1.18, 623/1.19, 623/1.2, 623/1.21, 623/1.42, 623/1.44, 623/1.45, 623/1.46, 623/1.49, 623/23.64, 623/23.66, 623/23.67, 623/23.7, 606/108, 606/191, 606/192, 606/194, 606/195, 606/198
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/856 Single tubular stent with a side portal passage
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/885 comprising a coil including a plurality of spiral or helical sections with alternate directions around a central axis
• 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 2002/91516 the meander having a change in frequency 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 2002/9155 Adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak

Abstract

A stent with axial flexibility, in a preferred embodiment, has a longitudinal axis and comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed bands, wherein each band defines a generally continuous wave along a line segment parallel to the longitudinal axis. A plurality of links maintains the bands in a tubular structure. In a further embodiment of the invention, each longitudinally disposed band of the stent is connected, at a plurality of periodic locations, by a short circumferential link to an adjacent band. Further, a pair of bifurcated stents is disclosed.

Claims

1. A bifurcated stem comprising a first stent portion having first and second ends with an intermediate section therebetween, the first stent portion further having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of longitudinally disposed cells, each of the cells having generally longitudinally extending struts formed in the shape of waves having a spatial frequency wherein each cell has an opening therein;

and

a second stent portion having first and second ends with an intermediate section therebetween, the second stent portion further having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of longitudinally disposed cells each of the cells having generally longitudinally extending struts, wherein each cell has an opening therein; and

each of said stent portions capable of expanding from a first respective diameter to a larger second respective diameter; and

wherein said second stent portion is configured in its said first respective diameter passing through a cell of the first stent portion in its first diameter; and

wherein the spatial frequency of the wave associated with each of the generally longitudinally extending struts of the first stent portion is increased in a first end region lying proximate to the first end and in a second end region lying proximate to the second end, in comparison to the spatial frequency of the wave in the intermediate section.

2. A stent according to claim 1, each said stent portion formed by a series of said generally longitudinally extending struts connected by links, wherein each link is axially displaced from any circumferentially adjacent link.

3. A stent according to claim 2, wherein, at each one of a first group of common axial positions, there is a said link between a first set of adjacent pairs of struts.

4. A stent according to claim 3, wherein, at each one of a second group of common axial positions, there is a said link between a second set of adjacent sets of struts, wherein, along the longitudinal axis, a common axial position occurs alternately in the first group and in the second group, and the first and second sets are selected so that a given strut is linked to a neighboring strut at only one of the first and second groups of common axial positions.