Catheter system having imaging, balloon angioplasty, and stent deployment capabilities, and method of use for guided stent deployment

• US 7,044,964 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: White, David A., Jang, Yue-Teh, Salmon, Stephen M., Garcia, Rizza A.
• Primary Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, CRIS LOIREN
• Application Number:
  US10/306,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 604507-510, 604/96.01, 604/500, 604/264, 604/523, 606/192, 606/194, 606/198, 606/28, 600/207, 600/470, 600/466, 600/467, 600/463, 623/1.11, 623/1.12, 623/902, 623/903, 623/1.2
• US Class Current: 623/1.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/902 Method of implanting

Abstract

A catheter system has a balloon angioplasty device disposed about a common lumen near its distal end. The balloon catheter is pre-fitted with a stent which is deployed when the balloon is inflated. The common lumen is in communication with multiple lumens within a proximal region of the catheter body to allow for positioning of the catheter over a movable guide wire and convenient delivery of imaging or interventional devices to a desired region of a body passageway being treated. The procedure for stent deployment optionally includes steps of imaging a lumen by ultrasound before and after stent deployment to identify the site at which a stent is needed, to confirm that the stent is being and has been deployed at a longitudinal position which does not overlap a branched segment of the body passageway, and to ensure that the stent has been radially opened to an optimum diameter.

Claims

1. A method for treating a patient comprising:

inserting a self-expandable prosthesis into a body passageway of the patient;

positioning the self-expandable prosthesis within the body passageway to lie at or near an area of interest;

expanding the self-expandable prosthesis to a first diameter at the area of interest;

without removing the self-expandable prosthesis from the area of interest, imaging at least a portion of the body passageway by using an imaging device within the body passageway after the step of expanding the self-expandable prosthesis;

inserting a second prosthesis into the self-expandable prosthesis in the area of interest if the first diameter is not sufficiently large; and

using the second prosthesis to expand the self-expandable prosthesis to a second diameter larger than the first diameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-expandable prosthesis includes a self-expandable stent.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the self-expandable stent comprises a wire mesh tube having a collapsed diameter which permits the stent to be disposed upon a catheter, and inserted into the body passageway, wherein the wire mesh tube can be expanded to the first expanded diameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second prosthesis includes a catheter having an inflatable balloon disposed about the distal region of the catheter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of expanding the second prosthesis includes inflating the balloon to controllably expand the self-expandable prosthesis at the area of interest.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of imaging at least the self-expandable prosthesis after the first expanding step.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of imaging at least a portion of the body passageway before the first expanding step.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first expanding step includes imaging at least the self-expandable prosthesis.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of imaging at least a portion of the body passageway prior to the step of expanding the second prosthesis.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of imaging at least the self-expandable prosthesis prior to the step of expanding the second prosthesis.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of expanding the self-expandable prosthesis to a first diameter includes withdrawing a sheath to expand the self-expandable prosthesis.