Magnetic vascular defect treatment system

A method of treating a vascular defect at a treatment site in a patient's body with a magnetic object of the type including a magnetic material, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) navigating a catheter, having a lumen therein opening near a distal tip of the catheter, through vasculature in the patient's body to the treatment site;
• b) generating a magnetic field at said treatment site within the patient's body from a source magnet located outside of the patient's body;
• and
• c) ejecting the magnetic object from the opening of the lumen of said catheter, the magnetic object entering the vascular defect and being retained in the vascular defect by the gradient of said magnetic field.

A method of treating a vascular defect at a treatment site in a patient's body with a magnetic object of the type including a magnetic material, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) navigating a catheter, having a lumen therein opening near a distal tip of the catheter, through vasculature in the patient's body to the treatment site;
• b) generating a magnetic field at said treatment site within the patient's body from a source magnet located outside of the patient's body;
• and
• c) ejecting a coil made from a permeable magnetic material from the opening of the lumen of said catheter, the magnetic object entering the vascular defect and being retained in the vascular defect by the gradient of said magnetic field.

A method of treating a vascular defect at a treatment site in a patient's body with a magnetic mixture of the type including magnetic particles and an agent that cures into a solid mass, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) navigating a catheter, having a lumen therein opening near a distal tip of the catheter and a magnetically responsive element near the distal tip of the catheter, through vasculature to said treatment site;
• b) generating a magnetic field at said treatment site within the patient's body from a source magnet located outside of the patient's body;
• and
• c) ejecting the magnetic mixture from the lumen of the catheter, with the magnetic field at the treatment site aligned to draw the magnetic mixture into, and hold the magnetic mixture within, the vascular defect.

A method of treating a vascular defect at a treatment site in a patient's body with a magnetic mixture of the type including magnetic particles and an agent that cures into a solid mass, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) navigating a catheter, having a lumen therein opening near a distal tip of the catheter and a magnetically responsive element near the distal tip of the catheter, through vasculature, to said treatment site;
• b) generating a magnetic field at said treatment site within a patient's body from a source magnetic located outside of the patient's body;
• and
• c) ejecting the magnetic mixture, comprising magnetic particles combined with a non-adhesive material selected from biocompatible glues, absorbable plastic materials, hydrogels, polymers, and copolymers, from the lumen of the catheter, with the magnetic field at the treatment site aligned to draw the magnetic mixture into, shape the magnetic mixture by the magnetic field acting on the magnetic particles distributed throughout the material, and hold the magnetic mixture within, the vascular defect, the applied magnetic field orienting the catheter while the magnetic mixture is ejected into the vascular defect, and a magnetic gradient of the applied magnetic field drawing the ejected magnetic mixtures into the vascular defect.

A method of treating a vascular defect at a treatment site in a patient's body with a magnetic mixture of the type including magnetic particles and an agent that cures into a solid mass, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) navigating a catheter, having a lumen therein opening near a distal tip of the catheter and a magnetically responsive element near the distal tip of the catheter, through vasculature, to said treatment site;
• b) generating a magnetic field at said treatment site within a patient's body from a source magnetic located outside of the patient's body;
• and
• c) ejecting the magnetic mixture, comprising magnetic particles combined with a non-adhesive material selected from biocompatible glues, absorbable plastic materials, hydrogels, polymers, and copolymers, from the lumen of the catheter, with the magnetic field at the treatment site aligned to draw the magnetic mixture into, shape the magnetic mixture by the magnetic field acting on the magnetic particles distributed throughout the material, and hold the magnetic mixture within, the vascular defect, while reducing the strength of the applied magnetic field as the magnetic mixture is ejected.

A method of treating a vascular defect within the patient's body comprising the steps of:

• a) navigating a device having an opening near the distal tip of the device, through the vasculature in a patent to the vascular defect;
• b) generating a magnetic field within the patient's body at the vascular defect from a source magnet located outside of the patient's body;
• c) ejecting a flowable magnetic mixture that is curable to a solid form from the opening at the distal tip of the device whereby the flowable magnetic mixture enters the vascular defect and is retained in the vascular defect by the magnetic field;
• and
• d) applying a curative agent to the flowable magnetic mixture to cure the flowable magnetic mixture within the vascular defect.

The method of generating an external magnetic field to hold a magnetic mixture in an aneurysm comprising the steps of:

• a) acquiring images of an aneurysm site in a patient from different perspectives of a patient volume using bi-planer fluoroscopy;
• b) navigating a catheter having a lumen therein opening near a distal tip of the catheter and a magnetically responsive element near the distal end of the catheter, through the vasculature of patient to the aneurysm site;
• c) indicating one at least two images where the magnetic mixture will be ejected;
• d) using an external magnet system along an axis of the aneurysm at a distance which provides sufficient, but not excessive magnetic field to hold the magnetic mixture in the aneurysm;
• and
• e) ejecting an embolic material containing a magnetic mixture from the lumen at the distal tip of the catheter whereby the embolic material enters the aneurysm and is retained in the aneurysm by the magnetic field generated by the magnetically responsive element.

A method for treating an aneurysm with a coil having first and second ends, and a magnet associated with the first end of the coil, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) navigating a catheter having a lumen therein and an opening near a distal tip of the catheter, through vasculature to an aneurysm site;
• b) pushing the coil from the lumen to first expose the first end of the coil from the opening;
• c) pushing the coil from the lumen so that the second end of the coil extends slightly from the distal end of the catheter;
• and
• d) applying an external magnetic field to steer the magnet associated with the first end of the coil towards a center of the aneurysm to direct the coil to wind within the aneurysm as the coil is advanced into the aneurysm.

A method of treating an aneurysm comprising the steps of:

• a) placing a macroscopic magnetic particle in the aneurysm;
• and
• b) ejecting a magnetic mixture into the aneurysm such that the magnetic mixture surrounds said macroscopic magnetic particle;
• whereby a local magnetic field created by said macroscopic particle, shapes and positions said magnetic mixture in said aneurysm.

A biocompatible magnetic mixture which can be ejected through a standard microcatheter and held magnetically within a vascular defect, the biocompatible magnetic mixture comprised of:

• a) a magnetic particulate between 1 mm and 10 mm in diameter, selected from the group consisting of iron, coated iron, carbonyl-iron, and iron carbon composites;
• b) a polymer selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate, polymerized methyl-methacrylate, or ethyl vinyl alcohol;
• and
• c) a solvent which dissolves the polymer selected from the group consisting of DMSO, acetone, and ethyl acetate;
• whereby said magnetic particulate and polymer are homogeneously distributed throughout said solvent, which precipitates from the solution as the magnetic mixture is deposited into said vascular defect and as the magnetic mixture is held by an externally applied magnetic field.

A biocompatible magnetic mixture which can be delivered through a microcatheter and held magnetically within a vascular defect, the biocompatible magnetic mixture comprised of:

• a) a magnetic particulate between 1 mm and 10 mm in diameter, selected from the group consisting of iron, coated iron, carbonyl-iron, and iron carbon composites;
• b) a polymer selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate, polymerized methyl-methacrylate, and ethyl vinyl alcohol;
• c) an adhesive agent selected from the group consisting of cyanoacrylates;
• d) a solvent for dissolving the polymer selected from the group consisting of DMS0, acetone, and ethyl acetate;
• and
• whereby said adhesive agent improves the cohesiveness and tissue attachment characteristics of the said magnetic mixture while magnetic particulate, adhesive agent and polymer are homogeneously distributed throughout said solvent, which precipitates from the solution as the magnetic mixture is deposited into said vascular defect and as the magnetic mixture is held by an externally applied magnetic field.