Extendible stent apparatus

• US 7,766,955 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Davidson, Charles J., Vardi, Gil
• Primary Examiner(s): PREBILIC, PAUL B
• Application Number:
  US10/440,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,633 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.15, 623/1.16, 623/1.35, 623/1.14, 623/1.21, 623/1.23, 623/1.34, 606/1.34, 606/194, 606/198, 606/191, 606/153
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/064 with special features to facilitate anastomotic coupling anastomosis of natural blood vessels A61B17/11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• 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 2/852 Two or more distinct overlapping stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/856 Single tubular stent with a side portal passage
• 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 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/067 modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/821 Ostial stents
• 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 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9155 Adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91575 connected peak to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91583 by a bridge, whereby at least one of its ends is connected along the length of a strut between two consecutive apices within a band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/005 Rosette-shaped, e.g. star-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/006 : modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 : radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers

Abstract

The present invention concerns novel stent apparatuses for use in treating lesions at or near the bifurcation point in bifurcated cardiac, coronary, renal, peripheral vascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and neurovascular vessels and brain vessels. More particularly, the invention concerns a stent apparatus with at least one side opening which may further comprise an extendable stent portion laterally extending from the side opening and at least partly in registry with the wall of the side opening. Devices constructed in accordance with the invention include, singularly or in combination, a main expandable stent comprising at least one substantially circular side opening located between its proximal and distal end openings, which side opening may further comprise an expandable portion extending radially outward from the edges of the side opening; and a branch stent comprising proximal and distal end openings and which may further comprise a contacting portion at its proximal end, and which may optionally be constructed to form either a perpendicular branch or a non-perpendicular branch when inserted through a side opening of the main stent. The stents of the invention are marked with, or at least partially constructed of, a material which is imageable during intraluminal catheterization techniques, most preferably but not limited to ultrasound and x-ray.

Claims

1. A stent comprising a main body portion having a wall structure extending between first and second opposing ends, the wall structure having a plurality of cells including a side branch opening, the stent having only one side branch opening, the side branch opening having a shape that is different from any other cell when the stent is unexpanded;

wherein a plurality of expandable portions extend into the side branch opening when the expandable portions are undeployed, each expandable portion comprising a first strut, a peak and a second strut, each expandable portion arranged to deploy in a radially outward direction about a portion of an outer perimeter of the side branch opening, said outer perimeter being continuously concave with respect to said side branch opening.

2. The stent apparatus of claim 1 wherein the stent comprises a self-expanding material.

3. The stent of claim 1 wherein the main body portion is a balloon-expandable structure.

4. The stent of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the stent is constructed of a material which is imageable.

5. The stent of claim 1 wherein the expandable portions are evenly distributed around the outer perimeter of the side branch opening.

6. The stent of claim 1 wherein a length of the stent in a compressed state is smaller than 4 centimeters and a diameter of the stent in the compressed state is smaller than 2 centimeters.

7. The stent of claim 1 wherein the outer perimeter of the side branch opening is generally circular.

8. The stent of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the outer perimeter of the side branch opening is constructed of a material which is imageable by x-ray or ultrasound.

9. The stent of claim 1 further comprising a second stent disposed at least partly within the main stent and having sides extending between proximal and distal opposing ends, wherein the second sent is a branch stent and the second branch stent being moveable and adapted to be extended in an angularly flexible fashion through said side branch opening of said main stent and at least partially contacting the outer perimeter of said side branch opening.

10. The stent apparatus of claim 9 wherein the second stent additionally comprises a contacting portion located at its proximal end, which contacting portion at least partially contacts the outer perimeter of said main stent side branch opening.

11. The stent apparatus of claim 9 wherein the stents comprise a self-expanding material.

12. The stent apparatus of claim 9 wherein the stents comprise a balloon-expandable material.

13. The stent apparatus of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the stents are constructed of a material which is imageable.

14. The stent apparatus of claim 9 wherein the length of the second stent in a compressed state is smaller than 4 centimeters and the diameter of the second stent in the compressed state is smaller than 2 centimeters.

15. The stent of claim 1 wherein each expandable portion deploys in a variably angled lateral manner from said outer perimeter of the side branch opening.

16. The stent of claim 1, wherein each expandable portion is oriented in a radial direction of the side branch opening when the expandable portions are undeployed.

17. The stent of claim 16, wherein a radial line that extends from a centerpoint of the side branch opening in a radial direction of the side branch opening can be defined for each expandable portion that bisects the peak of the expandable portion.

18. The stent of claim 17, wherein, for each expandable portion, the first strut is symmetrical with the second strut across the radial line associated with that expandable portion.

19. The stent of claim 1, wherein the peaks are distributed around a reference circle centered upon a centerpoint of the side branch opening.

20. The stent of claim 19, wherein the peaks are evenly distributed about the reference circle.