Stent

• US 6,558,415 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Intratherapeutics Incorporated (Sulzer Medica)
• Inventors: Thompson, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): McDermott, Corrine
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, CHERYL L
• Application Number:
  US09/765,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.12, 623/1.15, 623/1.1, 623/1.3, 623/1.17
• US Class Current: 623/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91508 the meander having a difference in amplitude along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9155 Adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91575 connected peak to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0013 Horseshoe-shaped, e.g. crescent-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0036 differing in thickness

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a stent including a stent body having a stent axis. The stent body includes structural members defining openings through the stent body. The structural members are provided with regions having different widths. The relative sizes of the widths are selected to control the length of the stent body as the stent body is radially expanded from an un-deployed orientation to a deployed orientation. In one embodiment, the regions having different widths are provided by tapering the widths of selected segments of the structural member.

Claims

1. A stent comprising:

a stent body having a stent axis;

the stent body including a structural member extending in an undulating pattern about a circumference of the stent body;

the structural member including a plurality of segments that extend generally longitudinally along the stent axis; and

at least some of the plurality of segments including pairs of tapered segments having widths that taper as the at least some segments extend longitudinally along the stent axis, the pairs of tapered segments being interconnected by non-tapered segments.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the non-tapered segments are skewed relative to the stent axis.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein a taper angle between the first, second and third widths is selected to minimize a length change of the stent body as the stent body is radially expanded from an un-deployed orientation to a deployed orientation.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein the at least some segments include pairs of tapered segments, the pairs of tapered segments being interconnected by non-tapered segments.

7. The stent of claim 6, wherein the non-tapered segments are skewed relative to the stent axis.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein the segments are substantially straight.

9. The stent of claim 1, wherein the stent body is made of a shape-memory metal.

3. A stent comprising:

a stent body having a stent axis;

the stent body including a structural member extending in an undulating pattern about a circumference of the stent body;

a plurality of structural members having peaks and valleys, the structural members also including segments that interconnect the peaks and valleys, wherein the structural members form cell structures interconnected at connection location; and

at least some of the segments of the structural members having widths that taper along lengths of the at least some segments, wherein the widths are larger adjacent the connection locations than adjacent the peaks and valleys.

4. A stent comprising:

a stent body having a stent axis;

the stent body including a structural member extending in an undulating pattern about a circumference of the stent body;

the structural member including a plurality of segments that extend generally longitudinally along the stent axis, each of the segments including a first end and a second end; and

at least some of the segments being tapered so as to define a first width adjacent the first end, a second width adjacent the second end and a third width at a midpoint between the first and second ends, the first width being less than the second width, and the third width being greater than the first width and less than the second width.

10. A stent comprising:

a stent body having a stent axis;

the stent body including a plurality of cell structures defining a plurality of cells;

the cell structures including structural members that extend in an undulating pattern about a circumference of the stent body;

the structural members including segments that extend generally longitudinally along the stent axis;

the structural members including peaks and valleys;

the cell structures being interconnected at connection locations;

at least some of the segments extending from the connection locations to the peaks and valleys; and

the at least some segments having enlarged first widths adjacent the connection locations as compared to smaller second widths located adjacent the peaks and valleys.

11. The stent of claim 10, wherein the at least some of the segments are provided with a narrowing width taper that extends between the first and second widths.

12. The stent of claim 10, wherein the relative sizes of the first and second widths are selected to minimize a length change of the stent body as the stent body is radially expanded from an un-deployed orientation to a deployed orientation.

13. The stent of claim 10, wherein the at least some segments include pairs of tapered segments positioned at the connection locations, the pairs of tapered segments being interconnected by non-tapered segments.

14. The stent of claim 13, wherein the non-tapered segments are skewed relative to the stent axis.

15. The stent of claim 10, wherein the segments are straight.

16. The stent of claim 10, wherein the connection locations include longitudinal connection locations and circumferential connection locations.

17. The stent of claim 16, wherein the cells are symmetrical about first axes extending through the circumferential connection locations, and the cells are also symmetrical about second axes extending through the longitudinal connection locations.

18. A stent comprising:

a stent body having a stent axis;

the stent body including a structural member extending in an undulating pattern about a circumference of the stent body;

the structural member including peaks and valleys, and also including segments that interconnect the peaks and valleys; and

at least some of the segments having a first width adjacent the peak and a second width adjacent the valley, the at least some of the segments being configured to taper along lengths of the at least some segments such that the first width is different than the second width.

19. The stent of claim 18, wherein the segments are substantially straight.

20. The stent of claim 18, further including a plurality of structural members wherein the structural members form cell structures that are interconnected at connection locations, and wherein the at least some segments have larger widths adjacent the connection locations than adjacent the peaks and valleys.

21. The stent of claim 18, wherein a taper angle of the first and second widths of the at least some of the segments is selected to control a length change of the stent body as the stent body is radially expanded from an un-deployed orientation to a deployed orientation.

22. The stent of claim 21, wherein the taper angle is selected to minimize a length change of the stent body as the stent body is expanded from the un-deployed orientation to the deployed orientation.

23. A stent comprising:

a stent body that is radially expandable from an un-deployed orientation to a deployed orientation;

the stent body including structural members defining openings through the stent body;

the structural members including segments having first regions with enlarged widths and second regions with more narrow widths, the first region being located adjacent a first end of the segments and the second region being located adjacent a second end of the segments; and

the relative sizes of the enlarged widths and the more narrow widths are selected to control a length of the stent body as the stent body is expanded from the un-deployed orientation to the deployed orientation.

24. The stent of claim 23, wherein the relative sizes of widths are selected to minimize a change in the length of the stent body as the stent body is expanded from the un-deployed orientation to the deployed orientation.

25. The stent of claim 23, wherein widths of the segments gradually taper between the enlarged widths and the more narrow widths.

26. The stent of claim 25, wherein the segments are substantially straight between the first regions and the second regions.

27. The stent of claim 26, wherein between the first and second regions, the segments extend in a generally longitudinal direction relative to an axis of the stent.