Method and apparatus for restricting flow through an opening in the side wall of a body lumen, and/or for reinforcing a weakness in the side wall of a body lumen, while still maintaining substantially normal flow through the body lumen

• US 9,763,665 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cornell University
• Original Assignee: Cornell University
• Inventors: Riina, Howard, Andrews, Robert, Strohl, Clair, Milsom, Jeffrey, Cornhill, J. Frederick, Smith, Kevin Thomas, Lamphere, David G., Nguyen, Tuan Anh
• Primary Examiner(s): WEISBERG, AMY REGINA
• Application Number:
  US14/194,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20150032145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 606200, 606127-128, 623 111- 122
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12113 within an aneurysm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12118 for positioning in conjunction with a stent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12131 characterised by the type of occluding device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1214 Coils or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12172 having a pre-set deployed three-dimensional shape methods of manufacturing A61B2017/00526
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12177 comprising additional materials, e.g. thrombogenic, having filaments, having fibers or being coated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1219 expandable in contact with liquids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00867 shape memory effect for prostheses A61F2210/0014
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00871 polymeric
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/12054 Details concerning the detachment of the occluding device from the introduction device
• 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 2/86 Stents in a form characterised by the wire-like elements; Stents in the form characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• 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 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30242 spherical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/823 Stents, different from stent-grafts, adapted to cover an aneurysm
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9505 having retaining means other than an outer sleeve, e.g. male-female connector between stent and instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/005 Rosette-shaped, e.g. star-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0071 spherical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0091 : helically-coiled or spirally-coiled, i.e. having a 2-D spiral cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0095 : Saddle-shaped

Abstract

An expandable substantially spherical structure for deployment in a blood vessel or other body lumen, comprising: an open frame formed out of a closed loop of filament and configured to assume (i) a collapsed configuration in the form of a substantially two-dimensional elongated loop structure so as to facilitate insertion into the blood vessel or other body lumen, and (ii) an expanded configuration in the form of a three-dimensional substantially spherical structure so as to facilitate retention at a site in the blood vessel or other body lumen; and a flow-restricting face carried by the open frame; wherein the open frame is configured so as to permit substantially normal flow therethrough when the open frame is in its expanded configuration, and further wherein the flow-restricting face is configured so as to restrict flow therethrough.

Claims

1. A method for restricting flow through an opening in the side wall of a body lumen while maintaining substantially normal flow through the body lumen, comprising:

providing an expandable structure for deployment in the body lumen, comprising;

an open frame configured to assume a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein the open frame comprises a substantially spherical structure when the open frame is in its expanded configuration;

a flow-restricting face carried by the open frame; and

a plurality of stabilizing legs attached to, and extending away from, the open frame, the plurality of stabilizing legs extending away from the open frame to form a cone-shaped structure which widens outward from the open frame;

wherein the open frame and the plurality of stabilizing legs are configured so as to permit flow therethrough when the open frame is in its expanded configuration, and further wherein the flow-restricting face is configured so as to restrict flow therethrough;

delivering the expandable structure to a therapy site within the body lumen while the open frame is in its collapsed configuration and the plurality of stabilizing legs are in a collapsed configuration; and

transforming the expandable structure from its collapsed configuration to its expanded configuration, and transforming the plurality of stabilizing legs from their collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration, so that the expandable structure is securely lodged in the body lumen, with the flow-restricting face positioned so as to restrict flow to the opening in the side wall of the body lumen and with the open frame and the plurality of stabilizing legs permitting flow through the body lumen.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the body lumen comprises a blood vessel.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the opening of the side wall of the blood vessel comprises the opening to an aneurysm.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the aneurysm comprises a lateral aneurysm.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the aneurysm comprises a bifurcation aneurysm.

6. A method according to claim 2 wherein the open frame is self-sizing, with the dimensions of the expanded configuration of the open frame and the plurality of stabilizing legs being established by the size of the blood vessel or other body lumen.

7. A method according to claim 2 wherein the open frame is configured to assume its expanded configuration in situ within the blood vessel or other body lumen.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the expandable structure is delivered to the therapy site with the open frame preceding the stabilizing legs.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the expandable structure is delivered to the therapy site with the stabilizing legs preceding the open frame.