Expandable ring, cylinder or sleeve which can be made non-deformable
AssigneeIndustrial Research Limited
InventorHendrik Glastra
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stent made of a hollow expandable ring or sleeve is inserted into a body vessel to locally support or strengthen the vessel. The stent includes a compartment filled with a curable material. The stent is fixed to an inflatable balloon and positioned within the vessel at the desired location. When the balloon is inflated, the stent is expanded into a desired shape. A light conducting fiber is introduced into the vessel to irradiate the material to cure the material in the stent, such that the stent retains the desired shape even after the balloon is removed from the body vessel.
Claims11
A device for locally supporting and strengthening a body vessel, comprising:
- a hollow, expandable stent to be positioned in the body vessel, the stent containing curable material;
- and
- a light conducting fiber to be inserted into the body vessel for transmitting radiation from an outside source to the curable material, wherein, when the material is irradiated with a suitable wavelength, curing is started or accelerated and the material is cured, such that the stent retains a desired shape in the body vessel.
A method for locally supporting and strengthening a body vessel, comprising the steps of:
- positioning a hollow, expandable stent in the body vessel, the stent containing curable material;
- expanding the stent into a desired shape in the body vessel;
- and
- transmitting radiation to the curable material through a light conducting fiber for curing the material, such that when the material is irradiated with a suitable curing is started or accelerated and the material is cured, such that the stent retains the desired shape in the body vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.