Stent-based extra-venous support for venous valve repair

An oval-shaped external or extra-venous support for venous valve repair, for implantation about a vein (V) having venous valves thereinside having cusps with respective opposite free edges (C1, C2) that are to coapt along a venous valve intercommissural diameter having intercommissural extremities attached to respective opposite intercommissural walls of the venous valve, in correspondence with a venous valve the cusp free edges whereof have become slackened whereby they have lost their capability to coapt with each other, so that said venous valve has become incompetent;

• the extra-venous support including a mesh shell composed of mesh branches made of an elastically flexible elongate material and having the general shape of a cylindrical channel shell having generatrices, and the cross-section whereof is oval with a major axis having opposite extremities, so that the mesh shell is an oval-shaped cylindrical channel mesh shell;
• the external or extra-venous support being capable of operating as a traction acting device in cooperation with fastening means engaging it to the wall of the vein in correspondence with the opposite intercommissural walls of the incompetent valve thereof to stretch them apart in order to dilate the intercommissural diameter of the incompetent valve so as to extend the slackened free edges (C1, C2) of the cusps thereof up to recover the capability thereof of coapting with each other;
• characterized in that said oval-shaped cylindrical channel mesh shell is a one-piece one (1;
• 2;
• 3;
• 4;
• 5;
• 6;
• 7), laterally open (g) and includes anchor means (101′, 101″, 101″;
• 103′;
• 103″, 103″;
• 201′, 201″, 201′″;
• 203′;
• 203″, 203′″;
• 301′, 301″, 301′″;
• 303′;
• 303″, 303′″;
• 401″, 401′″, 403″, 403′″;
• 501′, 501″;
• 503′, 503″;
• 601′, 601″;
• 603′, 603″ 701′, 701″;
• 703′, 703″) in correspondence of at least a cross-section thereof at both said opposite extremities of the major axis of the cross-section itself.