Self-expanding endoprosthesis
AssigneeMedicorp, S.A.
InventorNoureddine Frid
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A luminal endoprosthesis comprising a framework made up of braided filaments. The framework is self-expanding, that is to say that after it has been radially compressed for positioning of the endoprosthesis, it automatically recovers its nominal diameter. The metal of the framework has undergone a thermal treatment bringing about a state transition, at a temperature close to that of the organism, and this confers upon it a suitable rigidity after it has been positioned in an anatomical conduit.
Claims21
A luminal endoprosthesis, adapted for introduction into an anatomical conduit of an organism, comprising:
- a self-expandable braided framework of filaments, radially expandable to a nominal diameter, said filaments including a temperature transitionable material;
- said temperature transitionable material of said framework being adapted to experience a phase transition in which a rigidity of said transitionable material changes from a first rigidity to a second rigidity, greater than said first rigidity, at a temperature equal to or lower than a temperature of said organism;
- and
- said framework being compressible to a reduced diameter for introduction into said anatomical conduit of said organism, and upon release of compression, said framework being adapted to spontaneously adopt said nominal diameter independent of a temperature surrounding said framework and said phase transition.
A method of placing a self-expanding endoprosthesis in an anatomical conduit of an organism, said endoprosthesis being radially expandable to a nominal diameter and including a temperature transitionable material, said method comprising the steps of:
- placing said endoprosthesis in an environment having a temperature at or below a transition temperature at which said endoprosthesis experiences a phase transition in which a rigidity of said transitionable material changes from a first rigidity to a second rigidity, greater than said first rigidity, said transition temperature being a temperature equal to or lower than a temperature of said organism;
- compressing said endoprosthesis to reduce a diameter of said endoprosthesis from said nominal diameter to a reduced diameter for introduction into said anatomical conduit of said organism;
- introducing said compressed endoprosthesis into said anatomical conduit;
- and
- releasing compression from said endoprosthesis to enable said endoprosthesis to spontaneously adopt said nominal diameter independent of a temperature surrounding said endoprosthesis and said phase transition.
A luminal endoprosthesis, adapted for introduction into an anatomical conduit of an organism, comprising:
- a self-expandable framework, radially expandable to a nominal diameter and including a temperature transitionable material;
- said temperature transitionable material of said framework being adapted to experience a phase transition in which a rigidity of said transitionable material changes from a first rigidity to a second rigidity, greater than said first rigidity, at a transition temperature within a predefined temperature range;
- and
- said framework being compressible to a reduced diameter for introduction into said anatomical conduit of said organism, and upon release of compression, said framework being adapted to spontaneously adopt said nominal diameter independent of a temperature surrounding said framework and said phase transition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.