Stent-Graft Delivery Having a Tip Capture Mechanism With Elongated Cables for Gradual Deployment and Repositioning

A method of deploying a stent-graft prosthesis, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

• percutaneously advancing a delivery system having a stent-graft prosthesis mounted on an elongate shaft, wherein a guiding assembly is disposed over the shaft, a plurality of elongate cables each extend over the shaft and constrain endmost crowns of a stent of the stent-graft prosthesis, and a distal tip assembly is coupled to a distal end of the shaft, the distal tip assembly and the guiding assembly being moveable relative to each other, wherein a portion of the distal tip assembly proximally extends over an outer surface of a distal portion of the guiding assembly to constrain second ends of the cables between an inner surface of the distal tip assembly and the outer surface of the distal portion of the guiding assembly;
• positioning the stent-graft prosthesis;
• partially deploying the stent-graft prosthesis by retracting an outer sheath of the delivery system to expose at least a portion of the stent-graft prosthesis, wherein the portion of the stent-graft prosthesis self-expands and the endmost crowns of the stent remain constrained by the cables;
• partially deploying the endmost crowns of the stent in a continuous gradual manner by reducing tension on the cables, wherein reducing tension allows the endmost crowns to partially radially expand while the cables continue to constrain the endmost crowns of the stent;
• moving the distal tip assembly or the guiding assembly such that the distal tip assembly does not constrain the second ends of the cables to fully deploy the stent-graft prosthesis.

A stent-graft delivery system comprising:

• an elongate shaft;
• a self-expanding stent-graft prosthesis disposed over the elongate shaft, wherein the stent-graft prosthesis includes a radially-compressible stent coupled to a tubular graft;
• a plurality of elongate cables, wherein each cable extends over the elongate shaft and includes a first end and a second end that extends distally beyond the stent-graft prosthesis;
• a guiding assembly disposed over the shaft, wherein a distal portion of the guiding assembly is configured to receive the second ends of the cables;
• a distal tip assembly coupled to a distal end of the shaft, the distal tip assembly and the guiding assembly being moveable relative to each other,
• wherein, in a first relative position of the distal tip assembly and the guiding assembly, a proximal portion of the distal tip assembly extends over an outer surface of the distal portion of the guiding assembly to temporarily constrain the second ends of the cables and an intermediate portion of each cable constrains an endmost crown of the stent, whereby tension on the cables may be selectively adjusted to allow for both gradual continuous radial expansion and contraction of the endmost crowns of the stent, and
• wherein, in a second relative position of the distal tip assembly and the guiding assembly, the proximal portion of the distal tip assembly does not extend over an outer surface of the distal portion of the guiding assembly, the distal tip assembly does not constrain the second ends of the cables, and the intermediate portion of each cable does not constrain an endmost crown of the stent.