Overlapped stents for scaffolding, flexibility and MRI compatibility

Abstract

A tubular insert for a vessel comprises an inner stent and an outer stent. At least a portion of the inner stent is disposed within the outer stent. The outer stent has a longitudinal axis and is constructed to be free of any closed loops which are electrically conductive and which are disposed about the longitudinal axis such that the longitudinal axis passes through the closed loop. The inner stent has a longitudinal axis and is constructed so as to be free of any closed loops which are electrically conductive and which are disposed about the longitudinal axis such that the longitudinal axis passes through the closed loop. There is a substantially electrically non-conductive connection between the inner and outer stents. Desirably, a wall surface is defined by the outer and inner stents, and there are no closed, electrically conductive loops in the wall surface of the tubular insert.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] A stent is a generally tubular device that is used to support a bodily lumen. A stent is typically delivered to a desired bodily location via a catheter.

[0002] Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used to image various parts of the body. One of the uses of MRI has been to image blood flow. It is, therefore, desirable for stents to be MRI compatible to allow for imaging of vessels in the region of a stent. Although there has been a great deal of activity focusing on the choice of materials for MRI compatible stents, other factors in the design of the stent must be considered as well.

[0003] For example, a stent that is made from an electrically conductive material that is formed in electrically conductive loops which extend fully around the longitudinal axis of the stent, as shown by way of example at 50 in FIG. 1, may facilitate the formation of eddy currents when the region of the body in which the stent is located is imaged. Similarl...

Images