Flexible stent with elevated scaffolding properties
First Claim
1. A stent comprising:
- a web structure defining an essentially tubular body expandable from a contracted delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration;
a plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings defining the web structure, each web ring including a plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body when in the contracted delivery configuration, pairs of the plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements being sequentially adjoined at junction bends,wherein each junction bend in a first web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings is connected to a second junction bend in a neighboring web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings by a S-shaped connector having a plurality of segments disposed one in relation to the other in step-wise configuration, a central segment of the plurality of segments within the connector is disposed in a direction essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body; and
two junction bends of the junction bends connected by the S-shaped connector being laterally offset one in relation to the other with the central segment of the connector being disposed within a gap disposed between the two junction bends and radially offset from both of the two junction bends.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A stent is disclosed that generates an elevated degree of scaffolding to a bodily vessel while retaining a highly flexible structure. In one embodiment, a stent includes an essentially tubular body formed by a web structure that is configured to expand from a contracted delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration and that is composed of a plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings. Those web rings are formed by a plurality of web elements disposed circumferentially around the longitudinal axis of the stent and adjoined one to the other with a junction bend. Each junction bend in a first web ring is coupled to another junction bend in a neighboring ring with as-shaped connector, and the coupled junction bends are not longitudinally aligned but are instead laterally offset.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A stent comprising:
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a web structure defining an essentially tubular body expandable from a contracted delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration; a plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings defining the web structure, each web ring including a plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body when in the contracted delivery configuration, pairs of the plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements being sequentially adjoined at junction bends, wherein each junction bend in a first web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings is connected to a second junction bend in a neighboring web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings by a S-shaped connector having a plurality of segments disposed one in relation to the other in step-wise configuration, a central segment of the plurality of segments within the connector is disposed in a direction essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body; and two junction bends of the junction bends connected by the S-shaped connector being laterally offset one in relation to the other with the central segment of the connector being disposed within a gap disposed between the two junction bends and radially offset from both of the two junction bends. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of stenting a bodily vessel comprising:
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providing a stent having a web structure defining an essentially tubular body expandable from a contracted delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration, a plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings defining the web structure, each web ring including a plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements, the web elements being disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body in the contracted delivery configuration, pairs of the plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements being sequentially adjoined at a junction bend, each junction bend in a first web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings being connected to a second junction bend in a neighboring web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings by a S-shaped connector to define the web structure, the S-shaped connector comprises a plurality of segments disposed one in relation to the other in step-wise configuration, a central segment of the plurality of segments within the connector being disposed in a direction essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body, two junction bends connected by the S-shaped connector being laterally offset one in relation to the other with the central segment of the connector being disposed within a gap disposed between the two junction bends and radially offset from both of the two junction bends; disposing the stent in the contracted delivery configuration in the bodily vessel; and causing the stent to expand from the contracted delivery configuration to the expanded deployed configuration, thereby providing a supporting structure to the bodily vessel. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A stent comprising:
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a web structure defining an essentially tubular body expandable from a contracted delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration; a plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings defining the web structure, each web ring including a plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body when in the contracted delivery configuration, pairs of the plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements being sequentially adjoined at junction bends, wherein each junction bend in a first web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings is connected to a second junction bend in a neighboring web ring of the plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings by an S-shaped connector having a plurality of segments disposed one in relation to the other in step-wise configuration, a central segment of the S-shaped connector being disposed in a direction essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body, each S-shaped connected being orientated in the same orientation along the length of the web structure; and two junction bends of the junction bends connected by the connector being laterally and radially offset one in relation to the other, the central segment of the connector being disposed within a gap formed by the lateral and radial offset of the two junction bends and being radially offset from both of the two junction bends. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification