Method for treating neurovascular aneurysms
AssigneeBoston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
InventorPatrick Rivelli, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A graftless prosthetic stent for treatment of vascular lesions such as aneurysms and arterio-venous fistulas, especially in neurovascular vessels, comprises a continuous helical ribbon formed of a shape-retaining metal having a transition temperature at which the stent expands from its contracted condition to a radially expanded condition, the stent remaining substantially cylindrical in its contracted and expanded conditions. The helical windings have variable width, thickness, number or size of openings, or combinations of these features, which affect the stiffness, rate of expansion at the transition temperature, and the area of vessel wall covered by the stent. A catheter device which includes the stent, and a method of treatment using the stent are also provided.
Claims16
A method of treating a lesion at a neurovascular target vessel site, comprising
- guiding a neuro-interventional catheter to the neurovascular target vessel site,
- advancing trough the catheter, a stent adapted for advancement through a catheter in an upstream to downstream direction to the target site in a contracted stent condition, and with expulsion from the catheter, downstream end first, and radial expansion at the target site, to engage the walls of the vessel,
- said stent being formed of a coiled ribbon, the ribbon having a length wherein the length extends from one end of the ribbon to the other end of the ribbon, wherein the entirety of the stent forms a single conduit, the stent having a length, having a downstream end and an upstream end, being self-expanding and having a bending-stiffness gradient along its length due to one or more of the following:
- (i) a gradient of ribbon width, wherein, when the ribbon is uncoiled completely, there is straight center-line axis defined by the ribbon along the entire length of the ribbon;
- and
- (ii) a gradient of size or number of openings formed in the stent ribbon, and
- expelling the stent from the catheter at the target site, causing the stent to expand radially against the vessel walls at the target site;
- wherein said guiding includes engaging a pusher wire with the stent, pushing the stent through the catheter with the pusher wire, and expelling the stent from the catheter at the target site, with stent radial expansion at the target site being effective to release the stent from the pusher wire.
A method of treating a lesion at a neurovascular target vessel site, comprising
- guiding a neuro-interventional catheter to the target site,
- advancing through the catheter, a stent adapted for advancement through a catheter in an upstream to downstream direction to the target site in a contracted stent condition, and with expulsion from the catheter, downstream end first, and radial expansion at the target site, to engage the walls of the vessel,
- said stent being formed of a coiled ribbon shaped to form a single conduit, the ribbon having a length, wherein the lent extends from one end of the ribbon to the other end of the ribbon, the stent having a length, having a downstream end and an upstream end, being self-expanding and having a bending-stiffness gradient along its length due to one or more of the following:
- (i) a gradient of ribbon width, greater ribbon width at the upstream end of the stent, and lesser ribbon width at the downstream end of the stent, wherein the ribbon width progressively decreases from the upstream end in a downstream direction along the length of the stent, such that the width of the ribbon at any point is greater or equal to the width of the ribbon at any other point which is downstream and wherein when the ribbon is uncoiled completely, there is a straight center-line axis defined by the ribbon along the entire length of the ribbon;
- and
- (ii) a gradient of size or number of openings per unit length formed in the stent ribbon, wherein the size or number of openings progressively increases from the upstream end in a downstream direction along the length of the ribbon, and
- expelling the stent from the catheter at the target site, causing the stent to expand radially against the vessel walls at the target site,
- wherein said guiding includes engaging a pusher wire with the stent, pushing the stent through the catheter with the pusher wire, and expelling the stent from the catheter at the target site, with stent radial expansion at the target site being effective to release the stent from the pusher wire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.