Stent delivery under direct visualization

• US 8,858,609 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Miller, David, Saadat, Vahid, Peh, Ruey-Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): EASTWOOD, DAVID C
• Application Number:
  US12/367,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20090203962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 606/108, 606/159, 606/170, 606/191, 606/192, 606/194, 606/198, 604/266, 600/109, 600/160, 623/1.11
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00089 Hoods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/044 for absorption imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/12 with cooling or rinsing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/821 Ostial stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

Stent delivery under direct visualization utilizing an imaging hood is described herein. A stent may be delivered and placed in or around lesions, e.g., ostial lesions, through a delivery catheter while being directly visualized via an imaging hood. A pre-delivery assessment probe may also be advanced to the desired site for accurate placement of the stent.

Claims

1. A method of deploying a stent under direct visualization, comprising:

intravascularly advancing a reconfigurable hood structure having a distal end in a low-profile configuration into proximity to a vessel opening;

reconfiguring the hood structure into a deployed configuration which defines an open area bounded at least in part by the hood structure and by a membrane extending across the hood structure distal end, wherein the open area is in fluid communication with an environment external to the hood structure via an aperture in the membrane;

positioning the open area over the vessel opening;

purging blood from the open area by introducing a clearing fluid through the open area of the hood structure and into the environment;

positioning a stent through the open area into proximity to a lesion along the vessel while visualizing the stent through the clearing fluid; and

expanding the stent to contact the lesion along the vessel.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising visualizing the vessel within the open area through the clearing fluid.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein positioning a stent comprises advancing the stent upon an inflatable balloon member.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein expanding the stent comprises inflating the balloon member into contact against the lesion.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising measuring a length of the lesion prior to positioning a stent through the open area.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising measuring a diameter of the vessel prior to positioning a stent through the open area.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising visually inspecting the stent expanded against the lesion.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein positioning the open area over the vessel opening includes positioning the open area over a vessel opening to a vessel lumen such that the hood contacts tissue adjacent to the vessel opening and external to the vessel lumen.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising visualizing the vessel lumen and the tissue adjacent to the vessel opening through the open area.