Intravascular stent

• US 7,326,241 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2001
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Jang, G. David
• Primary Examiner(s): Prebilic; Paul B.
• Application Number:
  US09/925,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20020062149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,371 Days
• Field of Search: 606/198, 623/1.13, 623 115- 122, 623/23.7
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• 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 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• 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 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0018 differing in elasticity, stiffness or compressibility

Abstract

A stent in a non-expanded state has a first and second expansion column, each consisting of a plurality of expansion strut pairs. An expansion strut pair includes a first expansion strut, a second expansion strut and a joining strut that couples the first and second expansion struts at one end. Expansion strut pairs include expansion strut pair first and second corners formed where the joining strut couples the first and second expansion struts. A connecting strut column, formed of a plurality of connecting struts couples the first and second expansion columns. Connecting struts include a proximal section, a distal section and an intermediate section. The proximal section is coupled to the corner of an expansion strut pair of the first expansion column, and the distal section is coupled to the joining strut of an expansion strut pair of the second expansion column intermediate the expansion strut pair first corner and the expansion strut pair second corner.

Claims

1. An unexpanded stent constructed from a tube, the stent comprising:

a first expansion column having a plurality of first expansion strut pairs, each first expansion strut pair including two interconnected first expansion struts, each first expansion strut pair open at a proximal end of the first expansion column and closed at a distal end of the first expansion column, first expansion strut pairs which are adjacent one another connected to one another at a proximal end of the first expansion column, the first expansion column defining a continuous closed path about the circumference of the stent;

a second expansion column having a plurality of second expansion strut pairs, each second expansion strut pair including two interconnected second expansion struts, each second expansion strut pair open at a distal end of the second expansion column and closed at a proximal end of the second expansion column, second expansion strut pairs which are adjacent one another connected to one another at a distal end of the second expansion column, the second expansion column distal to the first expansion column, the second expansion column defining a continuous closed path about the circumference of the stent;

a first connector column having a plurality of first connectors, each first connector extending from a distal end region of one first expansion strut pair to a proximal end region of one second expansion strut pair and directly connecting the one first expansion strut pair to the one second expansion strut pair, the one second expansion strut pair having a second expansion strut with a longitudinal axis which is collinear with a longitudinal axis of one of the first expansion struts of the one first expansion strut pair to which it is connected, the longitudinal axes being parallel to the longitudinal axes of the two struts of the strut pairs, a first end of the first connector connecting to the first expansion strut pair having a point of connection that is at a location which is longitudinally and circumferentially offset from a point of connection at a location at which the second end of the first connector connects to the second expansion strut pair.

2. The unexpanded stent of claim 1 wherein each first connector extends from a distal end of a first expansion strut to a proximal end of a second expansion strut.

3. The unexpanded stent of claim 1 wherein each connector includes a first linear section, a second linear section and a third linear section.

4. The unexpanded stent of claim 1 wherein a proximal end of each first connector extends from the first expansion column at an oblique angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the stent.

5. The unexpanded stent of claim 4 wherein a distal end of each first connector extends from the second expansion column at an oblique angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the stent.

6. The unexpanded stent of claim 1 wherein each first connector includes at least one curved portion.

7. The unexpanded stent of claim 1 further comprising:

a third expansion column having a plurality of third expansion strut pairs, each third expansion strut pair including two interconnected third expansion struts, each third expansion strut pair open at a distal end of the third expansion column and closed at a proximal end of the third expansion column, third expansion strut pairs which are adjacent one another connected to one another at a distal end of the third expansion column, the third expansion column defining a continuous closed path about the circumference of the stent;

a second connector column having a plurality of second connectors, wherein each second connector extends from a proximal end region of one third expansion strut pair to a distal end region of one second expansion strut pair and directly connects the one third expansion strut pair to the one second expansion strut pair, the one second expansion strut pair having a second expansion strut with a longitudinal axis which is collinear with a longitudinal axis of one of the third expansion strut of the one third expansion strut pair to which it is connected, the longitudinal axes being parallel to the longitudinal axes of the two struts of the second and third expansion strut pairs, a second end of the second connector connecting to the third expansion strut pair has a point of connection that is at a location which is longitudinally and circumferentially offset from a point of connection at a location at which the first end of the second connector connects to the second expansion strut pair.

8. The stent of claim 7 wherein the first, second and third expansion struts are all parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent and the second expansion column includes second expansion struts which do not have any first connectors extending directly therefrom and which do not have any second connectors extending directly therefrom.

9. The stent of claim 7 wherein the first, second and third expansion struts are all parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent and the second expansion column includes second expansion struts which have a connector extending from a distal end thereof and a connector extending from a proximal end thereof.