Stent and method of making a stent
AssigneeAngiomed GmbH & Co. Medizintechnik KG
InventorsWolfram Schnepp-Pesch, Josef Lindenberg
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Abstract
A stent, which has an easier and better bendability and higher flexibility than known stents, has several meander paths (2,2a,2b,2c) successively arranged in the axial direction (A) and extending over its circumference (U), and between axially facing areas (3,3a,3'a,3b), interconnected by connecting areas (4,4a,4b,4c), of the meander paths (2,2a,2b,2c) in the circumferential direction (U) there are at least two facing, non-interconnected areas (3,3a,3'a,3b) of each meander path (2,2a, 2b,2c).
Claims16
A stent comprising a plurality of succeeding meander paths, which succeed one another in an axial direction of said stent and extend over a circumference of said stent, each of said meander paths having legs which are connected with one another along their associated meander path by turns of said meander paths which form peaks of the meander paths in the axial direction, axially adjacent meander paths having oppositely directed peaks axially facing one another at a plurality of locations spaced about the circumference of the stent, which peaks are interconnected by connecting portions of the meander paths, and wherein between axially facing peaks, interconnected by said connecting portions, of the meander paths are provided in the circumferential direction two axially facing, non-interconnected peaks of each meander path which are closely spaced from corresponding peaks of the adjacent meander path by relatively small gaps to form a plurality of substantially closed free spaces between successive peaks in the circumferential direction.
Method for producing a stent from a memory alloy, comprising making slots in a flat plate formed of a memory metal material in such a way that perpendicular to their extension direction adjacent slots are displaced by approximately half their length in the extension direction, bending the thus worked plate to form a cylinder with edges of the plate contacting each other, interconnecting contacting edges of said cylinder by welding at weld points and heat treating the welded cylinder to give the stent memory characteristics, so that after raising its temperature to above ambient temperature, but below the body temperature of the human body, it widens in a high temperature position.
A stent comprising a plurality of succeeding of meander paths, which succeed one another in an axial direction of said stent and extend over a circumference of said stent, each of said meander paths having legs which are connected with one another along their associated meander path by turns of said meander paths which form peaks of the meander paths in the axial direction, axially adjacent meander paths having oppositely directed peaks axially facing one another at a plurality of locations spaced about the circumference of the stent, which peaks are interconnected by connecting portions of the meander paths, and wherein between axially facing peaks interconnected by said connecting portions, of the meander paths are provided in the circumferential direction at least two axially facing non-interconnected peaks of each meander path which are closely spaced from corresponding peaks of the adjacent meander path by relatively small gaps to form a plurality of substantially closed free spaces between successive peaks in the circumferential direction, said stent being made by a method comprising making slots in a flat plate formed of a memory metal metal material in such a way that perpendicular to their extension direction adjacent slots are displaced by approximately half their length in the extension direction, bending the thus worked plate to form a cylinder with edges of the plate contacting each other, interconnecting contacting edges of said cylinder by welding at weld points and heat treating the welded cylinder to give the stent memory characteristics, so that after raising its temperature to above ambient temperature, but below the body temperature of the human body, it widens in a high temperature position, wherein each of said slots made in the flat plate defines a closed free space, and wherein after said slotted flat plate is bent and welded to form said welded cylinder, said method including in a plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the slots, partly removing webs left behind between two succeeding slots in the extension direction thereof so as to create said relatively small gaps extending between each of adjacent, closed free spaces in said plane.
A stent comprising a plurality of succeeding meander paths, which succeed one another in an axial direction of said stent and extend over a circumference of said stent, each of said meander paths having legs which are connected with one another along their associated meander path by turns of said meander paths which form peaks of the meander path in the axial direction, axially adjacent meander paths having oppositely directed peaks axially facing one another at a plurality of locations spaced about the circumference of the stent, which peaks are interconnected by connecting portions of the meander paths, and wherein between axially facing peaks, interconnected by said connecting portions, of the meander paths are provided in the circumferential direction at least two axially facing, non-interconnected peaks of each meander path which are closely spaced from corresponding peaks of the adjacent meander path by relatively small gaps to form a plurality of substantially closed free spaces between successive peaks in the circumferential direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.