Ureteral Stent And Methods Therefor
AssigneeJMT Medical, Inc.
InventorJeffrey Justin Rentz
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Abstract
A ureteral stent is made from a polymeric tubular body that is configured to allow for retention in the ureter of a subject by helical engagement with and radial extension of the ureter over substantially the entire length of the stent. In such stents, the polymeric material has a Young's modulus/spring constant that is matched to the Young's modulus of the ureter such that, upon placement of the stent, the ureter is radially expanded in an amount of between 2% and 20% (as measured form the uncontracted state) while still allowing peristaltic movement along the ureter.
Claims20
A ureteral stent, comprising:
- a tubular body having a proximal portion with a proximal end and a distal portion with a distal end;
- wherein the tubular body is deformable between a tensioned linear delivery configuration and an expanded helical deployment configuration;
- wherein the tubular body comprises a polymeric material having a Young's modulus and/or wherein a helical portion has a spring constant that is matched to a spring constant for radial expansion of a ureter effective to
- (a) exert a frictional force on a delivery device in the tensioned linear delivery configuration to so retain the tubular body on the delivery device;
- and
- (b) exert a radially expansive force on an inner wall of the ureter in the expanded helical deployment configuration to radially expand the inner wall of the ureter to so retain the tubular body in the ureter;
- and
- optionally a plurality of fenestrations in the tubular body.
A method of placing a ureteral stent, comprising:
- providing a delivery device to which a ureteral stent is concentrically coupled via frictional force in a tensioned linear delivery configuration;
- wherein the ureteral stent has a tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein the tubular body is deformable between the tensioned linear delivery configuration and an expanded helical deployment configuration;
- advancing the delivery device and stent in the tensioned linear delivery configuration into the ureter to a delivery location;
- upon reaching the delivery location, withdrawing the delivery device while maintaining the ureteral stent at the delivery location to thereby convert the ureteral stent from the tensioned linear delivery configuration into the expanded helical deployment configuration;
- wherein the ureteral stent in the expanded helical deployment configuration exerts a radially expansive force on an inner wall of a ureter that radially expands the inner wall of the ureter to so retain the tubular body in the ureter while allowing for peristalsis of the ureter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.