US 5,141,502 A · Ureteral stent

Abstract

A ureteral stent includes a stiffer stent body that affords superior columnar and axial strength for smooth advancement during insertion into a patient's ureter, and a softer bladder coil portion for reducing the risk of irritation at the trigone. A collar forms an interface between the stiffer stent body and the softer bladder coil. The collar has an annular shoulder that faces the bladder coil, providing a load transfer surface for controlled placement of the stent with a pusher tube that rides over the bladder coil. A pusher assembly includes a first inner and smaller diameter pusher having the diameter of the bladder coil, and a larger diameter pusher tube having the diameter of the collar anular shoulder. For easier placements, the smaller pusher tube bears against the bladder tube. For more difficult placements, the larger pusher tube can ride over the smaller pusher tube and engage the annular shoulder of the collar. A guide wire fits within the bore of the stent main tube body and the bore of the bladder tube. The guide wire also fits a bore of the smaller pusher tube. The guide defines a path for installation of the stent and for the pushers.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A ureteral stent apparatus comprising:

a) an elongated flexible tube body having a bore for carrying fluid with a central longitudinal bore axis, the tube body having proximal and distal end portions;
b) the tube body including a double helical portion at the proximal end portion that is positioned during use at the patient's renal pelvis and wherein the center of the helical portion is laterally offset from the bore axis;
c) a bladder coil positioned at the distal end portion of the tube body, and with a bore that communicates with the tube body bore;
d) a hub that defines a connection between the softer bladder coil and the stiffer tube body, the hub having a greater diameter than the tube and bladder coil so that the hub can be used to place the tube body in a desired position in the urinary tract of a patient;
and
e) wherein the bladder coil is of a softer material than the tube body.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ureteral stent

Life of this patent

Ureteral stent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24