Intravascular stent device

Abstract

A very small diameter intravascular stent device which may be used to occlude or partially occlude an aneurysm in the human brain which is comprised of a thin-walled skeletal cylindrical tube formed of S-shaped or sinusoidal elements which, when compressed, nest tightly with each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] This invention relates to intravascular devices for implantation within a vessel of the body, and more particularly to a stent device which may be used in the treatment of blood vessel disorders. More specifically, the intravascular device may take the form of an aneurysm cover to be used in the treatment of aneurysms which occur in the brain. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] On a worldwide basis, nearly one million balloon angioplasties were performed in 1997 to treat vascular disease, including blood vessels clogged or narrowed by a lesion or stenosis. The objective of this procedure is to increase the inner diameter or cross-sectional area of the vessel passage, or lumen, through which blood flows. [0005] Another serious vascular defect is an area of weakened vessel wall that causes a bulge, or bubble, to protrude out in a radial direction from the vessel. This type of defect is called an aneurysm. I...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, in its compressed state, the proximal peak of each sinusoidal member pulls the distal end of an adjacent sinusoidal member and the distal peak of each sinusoidal member pulls the proximal end of an adjacent sinusoidal member causing the cells of the wall to collapse, or “nest,” thereby allowing the skeletal tubular member to attain a small compressed diameter.

[0018] In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a self-expanding aneurysm cover is provided which when placed across an aneurysm of a blood vessel reduces, or obstructs, the flow of blood between the aneurysm and its related blood vessel. The aneurysm cover includes a small diameter skeletal tubular member which is comprised of a plurality of cells which are formed by a plurality of interconnected, non-inverted horizontal and inverted horizontal S-shaped members. The S-shaped members are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member and are interconnected in a repeating pattern. Each of the S-shaped members has a proximal end, a distal end, a proximal intermediate section and a distal intermediate section. The proximal end of each non-inverted horizontal S-shaped member is attached to the distal intermediate section of an adjacent inverted horizontal S-shaped member, the distal end of each non-inverted horizontal S-shaped member is attached to the proximal intermediate section of another adjacent inverted horizontal S-shaped member, the proximal end of each inverted horizontal S-shaped member is attached to the distal intermediate section of an adjacent non-inverted horizontal S-shaped member, and the distal end of each inverted horizontal S-shaped member is attached to said proximal intermediate section of another adjacent non-inverted horizontal S-shaped member. With this configuration, the skeletal tubular member may be compressed to a very small diameter because of “nesting” of adjacent S-shaped members.

Problems solved by technology

Obviously, such vessels are extremely small and very tortuous throughout their length.

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