Microspheres with sacrificial coatings for vaso-occlusive systems
OwnerCsaba Truckai, John H. Shadduckinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vaso-occlusive system comprising a catheter with a working end that carries a fluid media for introduction into an aneurysm. The fluid media carries a volume of microspheres, wherein each microsphere has a sacrificial shell or coating that surrounds an interior core portion of the microsphere. The core portions of the microspheres comprise either a first or second polymerizing composition, wherein interaction of such binary compositions will cause polymerization of the media into a gel or solid media that will occlude the aneurysm. An energy delivery means is provided within the catheter working end to cause removal of the sacrificial coatings of the volume of microspheres to thereby induce the polymerization process.
Claims20
A vaso-occlusive system, comprising:
- a catheter having a distal working end with an interior chamber;
- a volume of microspheres carried in said interior chamber, each microsphere having a sacrificial shell portion that surrounds an interior core portion;
- the core portions of the microspheres comprising either a first or second polymerizing composition, wherein interaction of said first and second compositions causes a polymerization process to thereby create a substantially solid volume;
- and
- energy delivery means within the catheter for causing removal of said sacrificial shells of said volume of microspheres.
A method of treating a vascular malformation at a targeted site within a patient's vasculature, comprising the steps of:
- (a) navigating a catheter working end to the targeted site in the patient's vasculature;
- (b) introducing flowable media from the catheter working end into the vascular malformation wherein said flowable media carries a volume of microspheres, each microsphere having a sacrificial shell portion that surrounds an interior core portion of either a first or second polymerizing composition that upon interaction cause a polymerization process;
- (c) activating energy delivery means carried at the catheter working end to cause disintegration of the sacrificial shell portions of the microspheres;
- and
- (d) causing interaction of the first and second polymerizing compositions thereby altering the flowable media to a substantially solid media volume to provide occlusive media.
A vaso-occlusive system, comprising:
- a fluid media carrying a volume of microspheres of first and second types,
- the first type of microsphere having a sacrificial shell portion that surrounds an interior core of a first composition;
- the second type of microsphere having a sacrificial shell portion that surrounds an interior core of a second composition;
- and
- wherein interaction of said first and second compositions causes a polymerization of the volume of fluid media.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.