Medical implant having a curlable matrix structure

• US 7,300,458 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: USSC Medical GmbH (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Micro Therapeutics, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Henkes, Hans, Flesser, Achim, Bodenburg, Ralph, Kontek, Ronald, Speder, Jürgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Willse; David H.
• Application Number:
  US11/039,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 623 113- 122, 623/1.3, 623/1.31, 62/13, 62/13.1
• US Class Current: 623/1.17
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12118 for positioning in conjunction with a stent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/221 Gripping devices in the form of loops or baskets for gripping calculi or similar types of obstructions surgical snare instruments A61B17/32056
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/12063 electrolytically detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2215 having an open distal end
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• 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 2/92 Stents in the form of a rolled-up sheet expanding after insertion into the vessel , e.g. with a spiral shape in cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/966 with relative longitudinal movement between outer sleeve and prosthesis, e.g. using a push rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3008 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• 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 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9528 for retrieval of stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9534 for repositioning of stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/005 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0058 soldered or brazed or welded
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0008 elliptical or oval
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers

Abstract

A medical implant, having a proximal and a distal end, that is preformed to assume a superimposed structure at an implantation site but can be made to take on a volume-reduced form making it possible to introduce it with a micro-catheter and a guide wire arranged at the proximal end, with the implant in its superimposed structure assuming the form of a longitudinally open tube and having a mesh structure of interconnected strings or filaments. The implant has a tapering structure at its proximal end where the strings or filaments converge at a connection point.

Claims

1. An expandable medical implant for implantation in a vessel, comprising:

a mesh structure comprising a first plurality of mesh cells, the mesh structure having a proximal end and a distal end;

a tapering portion comprising a second plurality of mesh cells, the tapering portion disposed toward the proximal end of the mesh structure; and

a connection point, at which the tapering portion converges, located at a proximal end of the tapering portion,

a first guide wire detachably coupled and proximally extending from the connection point;

wherein the implant is performed by curling the mesh structure such that a seam extends along the longitudinal axis of the implant;

wherein the implant is delivered in a volume-reduced form having overlapping edges; and

wherein the mesh structure partially uncurls such that the implant assumes a volume-enlarged form to provide wall opposition to the vessel, and wherein the volume-enlarged implant takes the form of a tube tapering toward the connection point and the tube further comprises substantially open ends.

2. The implant according to claim 1, comprising an alloy having shape-memory properties.

3. The implant according to claim 1, wherein:

the connection point is centrally arranged in the tapering portion.

4. The implant according to claim 3, further comprising:

a platinum spiral coupled to the connection point.

5. The implant according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the tapering portion and the mesh structure is made from one of;

a cut foil curled to form the longitudinally open tube; and

an expanded metal foil curled to form the longitudinally open tube.

6. The implant according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the tapering portion and the mesh structure comprises one of;

a plurality of filaments interconnected to one another by welding; and

a mesh braiding of individual filaments.

7. The implant according to claim 6 wherein each filament comprises individual strands worked into a rope-like structure.

8. The implant according to claim 1, further comprising at least one marker disposed at the distal end of the mesh structure.

9. The implant according to claim 6, further comprising at least one marker disposed at the distal end of the mesh structure, wherein the at least one marker is arranged at a junction point of at least two filaments.

10. The implant according to claim 6, wherein the mesh braiding comprises a knitted structure that imparts curled up edges to at least one of the tapering portion and the mesh structure.

11. The implant according to claim 10, wherein the knitted structure comprises a fluse-like structure.

12. The implant according to claim 1, wherein the mesh cells of the first plurality are smaller than the mesh cells of the second plurality.

13. System for the treatment of aneurysms or other vascular malformations, comprising a micro-catheter;

and a second guide wire for the placement of the micro-catheter;

wherein the implant of claim 1 is detachably coupled to the first guide wire through the micro-catheter.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the implant is detachably coupled to the first guide wire via an electrolytically corrodible element.

15. The implant of claim 1, further comprising a substantially continuous mesh along the longitudinal axis.

16. The implant of claim 1, wherein the implant comprises a longitudinally open tube in the volume-enlarged form.