Aneurysm occlusion device
First Claim
1. A device to treat an aneurysm comprising:
- a plurality of individual soft and compressible non-liquid fill members;
a flow conduit, providing a liquid flow that carries the individual, non-liquid fill members using the liquid flow;
a flexible, expandable, and liquid-permeable net or mesh enclosure, configured to be inserted into and to fit within the aneurysm, wherein the net or mesh enclosure comprises a primary opening that is configured to receive the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members into the net or mesh enclosure and wherein the primary opening is closable after the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members have been received into the net or mesh enclosure; and
wherein the net or mesh enclosure further comprises a plurality of secondary openings that allow the liquid flow that carried the individual, non-liquid fill members into the net or mesh enclosure to pass through the net or mesh enclosure but retain the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure, wherein a resulting accumulation of the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure causes the net or mesh enclosure to expand and to come into contact with the aneurysm walls to thereby substantially occlude the aneurysm and retain the net or mesh enclosure within the aneurysm, wherein at least some of the non-liquid fill members retained by the net or mesh enclosure partially protrude out from the net or mesh enclosure to assist in conformal gripping of the interior aneurysm wall;
wherein a proximal region of the net or mesh enclosure has a first strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity;
wherein a distal region of the net or mesh enclosure has a second strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity;
wherein there is a difference between the first strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity and the second strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity; and
a user-actuatable closure, associated with the primary opening in the net or mesh enclosure through which the individual non-liquid fill members are introduced into the enclosure, wherein the closure is configured to be user-actuated to reduce a size of the primary opening after the net or mesh enclosure has been expanded by filling it with the fill members.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device to treat an aneurysm can include a plurality of soft and compressible fill members. A flow conduit can carry the fill members in a liquid flow. A flexible, expandable, and liquid-permeable net or mesh enclosure can be inserted into and to fit within the aneurysm. The net or mesh enclosure can receive and retain the plurality of fill members while openings in the net or mesh enclosure allow enough liquid flow through the net or mesh enclosure to transport the fill members into the net or mesh enclosure. A resulting accumulation of the plurality of fill members within the net or mesh enclosure causes the net or mesh enclosure to expand and to come into contact with and generally conform with an interior wall of the aneurysm. This can substantially occlude the aneurysm and retain the net or mesh enclosure within the aneurysm.
187 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A device to treat an aneurysm comprising:
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a plurality of individual soft and compressible non-liquid fill members; a flow conduit, providing a liquid flow that carries the individual, non-liquid fill members using the liquid flow; a flexible, expandable, and liquid-permeable net or mesh enclosure, configured to be inserted into and to fit within the aneurysm, wherein the net or mesh enclosure comprises a primary opening that is configured to receive the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members into the net or mesh enclosure and wherein the primary opening is closable after the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members have been received into the net or mesh enclosure; and
wherein the net or mesh enclosure further comprises a plurality of secondary openings that allow the liquid flow that carried the individual, non-liquid fill members into the net or mesh enclosure to pass through the net or mesh enclosure but retain the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure, wherein a resulting accumulation of the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure causes the net or mesh enclosure to expand and to come into contact with the aneurysm walls to thereby substantially occlude the aneurysm and retain the net or mesh enclosure within the aneurysm, wherein at least some of the non-liquid fill members retained by the net or mesh enclosure partially protrude out from the net or mesh enclosure to assist in conformal gripping of the interior aneurysm wall;
wherein a proximal region of the net or mesh enclosure has a first strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity;
wherein a distal region of the net or mesh enclosure has a second strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity;
wherein there is a difference between the first strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity and the second strength, flexibility, plasticity, or elasticity; anda user-actuatable closure, associated with the primary opening in the net or mesh enclosure through which the individual non-liquid fill members are introduced into the enclosure, wherein the closure is configured to be user-actuated to reduce a size of the primary opening after the net or mesh enclosure has been expanded by filling it with the fill members. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A device to treat an aneurysm comprising:
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a plurality of individual non-liquid fill members; a liquid flow which transports the plurality of individual non-liquid fill members; a flow conduit through which the liquid flow moves and through which the individual non-liquid fill members move, wherein this flow conduit is configured to transport the plurality of non-liquid fill members into an aneurysm; a pump mechanism that is configured to cause the liquid flow and the plurality of individual non-liquid fill members to move through the flow conduit into the aneurysm; a flexible and liquid-permeable net or mesh enclosure that is configured to be inserted into the aneurysm;
wherein the net or mesh enclosure comprises a primary opening that is configured to receive the plurality of individual non-liquid fill members into the net or mesh enclosure and wherein the primary opening is closable after a plurality of non-liquid fill members have been received into the net or mesh enclosure;
wherein the net or mesh enclosure further comprises a plurality of secondary openings that allow the liquid flow to pass outwards through the net or mesh enclosure but to retain the plurality of individual non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure;
wherein a resulting accumulation of the plurality of individual non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure causes the net or mesh enclosure to expand and to come into contact with the aneurysm walls to thereby substantially occlude the aneurysm; and
wherein at least some of the non-liquid fill members retained by the net or mesh enclosure partially protrude out from the net or mesh enclosure to assist in conformal gripping of the interior aneurysm wall; anda closure associated with the primary opening in the net or mesh enclosure through which the individual non-liquid fill members enter the enclosure, wherein user actuated closing of this closure prevents the individual non-liquid fill members from escaping outwards from the net or mesh enclosure through this primary opening.
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21. A method comprising:
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creating a flexible, expandable, and liquid-permeable net or mesh enclosure to occlude an aneurysm wherein a proximal region of the net or mesh enclosure has a first flexibility or elasticity;
a distal region of the net or mesh enclosure has a second flexibility or elasticity; and
the first flexibility or elasticity is different than the second flexibility or elasticity;inserting the flexible, expandable, and liquid-permeable net or mesh enclosure into an aneurysm; providing a liquid flow that introduces a plurality of soft and compressible individual, non-liquid fill members, using a flow conduit, into the net or mesh enclosure; receiving the individual, non-liquid fill members into the net or mesh enclosure through a primary opening in the net or mesh enclosure; retaining the individual, non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure while allowing liquid flow that carried the individual, non-liquid fill members into the net or mesh enclosure to pass through a plurality of secondary openings in the net or mesh enclosure such that a resulting accumulation of the plurality of individual, non-liquid fill members within the net or mesh enclosure causes the net or mesh enclosure to expand and to come into contact with and generally conform with an interior wall of the aneurysm to thereby substantially occlude the aneurysm and retain the net or mesh enclosure within the aneurysm; allowing at least some of the retained non-liquid fill members to partially protrude out from the net or mesh enclosure to assist in conformal gripping of an interior wall of the aneurysm; and actuating a closure to reduce the size of the primary opening, though which individual, non-liquid fill members were introduced into the net or mesh enclosure, after the net or mesh enclosure has been expanded. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification