Expandable stent and method for delivery of same
DCFirst Claim
1. An unexpanded stent comprising:
- a tubular wall having a series of undulating circumferential portions, each circumferential portion comprising alternating peaks and valleys;
the tubular wall also having a plurality of longitudinal portions connecting said series of undulating circumferential portions to form a porous, cylindrical surface;
a longitudinal portion connecting a peak in a first circumferential portion with a valley in a second circumferential portion adjacent to the first circumferential portion; and
each longitudinal portion having a flexure member, said flexure member, in two dimensions, being non-sinusoidal and arcuate, each flexure member being connected to an adjacent circumferential portion with a straight strut portion which is disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis of the stent.
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Abstract
An expandable stent comprising a proximal end and a distal end in communication with one another and a tubular wall disposed between the proximal end and the distal end. The tubular wall has a longitudinal axis and a porous surface defined by a plurality of intersecting members comprising a series of longitudinal struts disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent. Each longitudinal strut in the series comprises flexure means for substantially complementary extension and compression of a diametrically opposed pair of the longitudinal struts upon flexure of the stent. The stent is expandable from a first, contracted position to a second, expanded position upon the application of a radially outward force on the stent. The provision of such flexure means in the series of longitudinal struts leads to a very desirable balance of lateral flexibility of the unexpanded stent and radial rigidity of the expanded stent.
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Citations
75 Claims
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1. An unexpanded stent comprising:
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a tubular wall having a series of undulating circumferential portions, each circumferential portion comprising alternating peaks and valleys;
the tubular wall also having a plurality of longitudinal portions connecting said series of undulating circumferential portions to form a porous, cylindrical surface;
a longitudinal portion connecting a peak in a first circumferential portion with a valley in a second circumferential portion adjacent to the first circumferential portion; and
each longitudinal portion having a flexure member, said flexure member, in two dimensions, being non-sinusoidal and arcuate, each flexure member being connected to an adjacent circumferential portion with a straight strut portion which is disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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22. An unexpanded stent comprising:
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a tubular wall having a series of undulating circumferential portions, each circumferential portion comprising alternating peaks and valleys;
the tubular wall also having a plurality of longitudinal portions connecting said series of undulating circumferential portions to form a porous, cylindrical surface;
a longitudinal portion connecting a peak in a first circumferential portion with a valley in a second circumferential portion adjacent to the first circumferential portion; and
each of said plurality of longitudinal portions having a flexure member that provides lateral flexibility to said stent and is disposed within each of said plurality of longitudinal portions, each said flexure member, in two dimensions, being (i) non-sinusoidal, (ii) interposed between a pair of straight strut portions which are disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis of the stent, and (iii) arcuate. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 56, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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43. An unexpanded stent comprising:
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a tubular wall having a series of undulating circumferential portions, each circumferential portion comprising alternating peaks and valleys;
the tubular wall also having a plurality of longitudinal portions connecting said series of undulating circumferential portions to form a porous, cylindrical surface;
a longitudinal portion connecting a peak in a first circumferential portion with a valley in a second circumferential portion adjacent to the first circumferential portion; and
each of said plurality of longitudinal portions having a flexure member that provides lateral flexibility to said stent and is disposed within each of said plurality of longitudinal portions, each said flexure member, in two dimensions, being (i) non-sinusoidal, (ii) arcuate, and (iii) comprising a pair of substantially straight strut portions disposed substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the stent, the pair of substantially straight strut portions being interconnected by a curved portion. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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44. The stent defined in wherein a relative flexibility of the stent is variable in accordance with a thickness of at least one of the circumferential portions varying in the range of from about 0.0015 to about 0.0045 inches when measured on the outer surface of the tubular wall.
Specification