Stent with spiral side-branch support designs

Abstract

An expandable stent may be made having an expandable spiral side branch support section having a spiral configuration and disposed about a center point. The expandable spiral side branch support section is configured to expand outward to allow for the formation of a bifurcated stent with a side branch.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] Not Applicable STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH [0002] Not Applicable BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Stents, grafts, stent-grafts, vena cava filters and similar implantable medical devices, collectively referred to hereinafter as stents, are radially expandable endoprostheses which are typically intravascular implants capable of being implanted transluminally and enlarged radially after being introduced percutaneously. Stents may be implanted in a variety of body lumens or vessels such as within the vascular system, urinary tracts, bile ducts, etc. Stents may be used to reinforce body vessels and to prevent restenosis following angioplasty in the vascular system. They may be self-expanding or expanded by an internal radial force, such as when mounted on a balloon. [0004] Stents are generally tubular devices for insertion into body lumens. Balloon expandable stents require mounting over a balloon, positioning, and inf...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the invention is directed to an expandable stent having a flow path therethrough and an exterior surface and an interior surface, a constant inner diameter and an outer diameter. The stent comprises an expandable spiral side branch support section having a spiral configuration and disposed about a center point. The center point is located at a first longitudinal coordinate and circumferential coordinate. The spiral side branch support section comprises at least one spiral arm forming a curve extending at least partially around the center point. The at least one spiral arm has a first end and a second end, the second end positioned closer to the center point than the first end. The stent has no more than one spiral branch support section disposed about a center point located at the first longitudinal coordinate.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the inven...

Problems solved by technology

Many prior art stents however are not wholly satisfactory for use where the site of desired application of the stent is juxtaposed or extends across a bifurcation in an artery or vein such, for example, as the bifurcation in the mammalian aortic artery into the common iliac arteries.

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