DEVICE VIEWABLE UNDER AN IMAGING BEAM

• US 20110166645A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kieran Murphy LLC.
• Original Assignee: Kieran Murphy
• Inventors: MURPHY, KIERAN
• Granted Patent: US 8,465,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.34
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0233 Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments
• 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 17/12109 in a blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12113 within an aneurysm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12145 having a pre-set deployed three-dimensional shape methods of manufacturing A61B2017/00526
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3403 Needle locating or guiding means guides for suture needles A61B17/0482; guiding or tracking by nuclear magnetic resonance G01R33/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3415 for introducing tubes or catheters, e.g. gastrostomy tubes, drain catheters A61B17/3417 takes precedence; body piercing catheter guide needles A61M25/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1205 Introduction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3954 magnetic, e.g. NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/11 with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• 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 2210/0076 multilayered, e.g. laminated structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/416 Anti-neoplastic or anti-proliferative or anti-restenosis or anti-angiogenic agents, e.g. paclitaxel, sirolimus
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2420/06 Coatings containing a mixture of two or more compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/10 : Macromolecular materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/16 : Biologically active materials, e.g. therapeutic substances A61L31/047 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/18 : Materials at least partially X-ray or laser opaque

Abstract

The invention provides a stent made from a material operable to perform a stent'"'"'s desired therapeutic functions, and also made from a material that has a radiopacity that substantially preserves the appearance of the stent when the stent is viewed under a CT imaging beam. Such a stent can allow for follow-up of the stent and the surrounding blood-vessel on CT.

Claims

1. A stent, comprising:

a material having structure to provide three-dimensional visualization of a surrounding tissue when said stent is inserted into said tissue and viewed under an imaging beam,

said stent having;

a single coating layer selected from a group consisting of;

a hydrophilic polymer, a hydrophobic polymer, and a fatty acid polymer, and

a density enhancing radiologic opacifier embedded into said single coating layer, said single coating layer and said embedded opacifier material together providing a first Hounsfield image density suitable for viewing under a first image modality used during device insertion into a patient, and wherein said density enhancing radiologic opacifier material is configured to elute from said single coating layer so as to provide a second Hounsfield image density suitable for viewing under a second image modality used for subsequent visualization of surrounding tissue,

wherein said single coating layer includes a restenosis inhibiting drug.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein residual radiographic density measurements of said stent provide a measure of said restenosis inhibiting drug still retained within said polymer.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein said stent is configured to elute said density enhancing radiologic opacifier material by bulk erosion, such that said stent has increased visibility than said stent prior to elution.

4. The stent of claim 1, wherein said stent is configured to elute said density enhancing radiologic opacifier material by surface erosion, such that said stent has increased visibility when viewed under an imaging beam than said stent prior to elution.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein said stent is configured to elute said density enhancing radiologic opacifier material by diffusion, such that said stent has increased visibility when viewed under an imaging beam than said stent prior to elution.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein said stent is configured to elute said density enhancing radiologic opacifier material by degradation, such that said stent has increased visibility when viewed under an imaging beam than said stent prior to elution.

7. The stent of claim 1, wherein said imaging comprises CT.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein said imaging comprises MR.