Apparatus and method of placement of a graft or graft system

Abstract

A fenestrated graft deployment system, with a delivery catheter having a catheter body, An endoluminal prosthesis having a main graft body, the main graft body having a lumen therethrough and a first opening laterally through a wall of the main graft body. A first guidewire prepositioned within the delivery catheter extending through at least a portion of the catheter body into a main lumen of the endoluminal prosthesis and through the first opening in the wall of the prosthesis when the delivery catheter is in a predeployed configuration. A first fenestration alignment device is configured to extend through at least a portion of the delivery catheter and is configured to be axially moveable relative to the first guidewire. The first fenestration alignment device has an end portion having an outside perimeter configured such that when an end portion of the fenestration alignment device moves toward the first opening of said main graft body the outside perimeter of the first opening is smaller than the outside perimeter of the first fenestration alignment device and prevents it from passing through the first opening and causes the main graft body adjacent to the first opening to move with the end of the first fenestration alignment device to act as alignment tool to allow an operator to align the first opening in the side of the endoluminal prosthesis with an ostium of a target branch vessel into which said first opening is to extend and act as a guide and seal for a subsequently delivered branch graft endoluminal prosthesis.

Description

PRIORITY INFORMATION AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE[0001]This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61 / 409,504 (titled “APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PLACEMENT OF A GRAFT OR GRAFT SYSTEM”), filed Nov. 2, 2010, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein. The benefit of priority is claimed under the appropriate legal basis including, without limitation, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e). Additionally, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 769,506, filed on Apr. 28, 2010 (entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PLACEMENT OF A GRAFT OR GRAFT SYSTEM”) is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]Endoluminal vascular prostheses delivery devices and methods of deploying such prostheses for use in the treatment of aneurysms at branches of arterial vessels, in particular the aorta, are described.[0004]2. Description of the Related Ar...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]Designs and methods of placement of a branch graft or branch graft system having lateral openings in the main graft are disclosed. The main graft is positioned within the main blood vessel such as the aorta so that the lateral openings (also referred to herein as fenestrations) can be aligned with the branch blood vessels, to allow blood to flow through the openings in the main graft and into the branch vessels. The positions of the branch blood vessels can vary from one patient's anatomy to the next, the graft systems disclosed herein allow a surgeon to adjust the position of the fenestrations in the main body so as to align them with the branch vessels to improve the efficiency of branch graft deployment.

[0011]The main graft body can have a tubular shape and can have a diameter that can be significantly larger than the diameter of the target vessel into which the graft is intended to be deployed. As will be described in greater detail below, the oversized diameter of a portion of the main graft can provide excess or slack graft material in the main graft to allow the fenestrations to each be moved in one or a combination of lateral, axial and angular directions so that the fenestrations can be aligned with the branch arteries.

[0020]Some embodiments or arrangements are directed to endoluminal prostheses comprising a main graft body defining a flow lumen therethrough, a first opening passing through a wall of the main graft body, and a first support member supported by the main graft body and overlapping an edge of the first opening, the first support member being configured to increase the tear resistance of the main graft body adjacent to the first opening.

Problems solved by technology

When this occurs, it may be detrimental to implant a conventional tubular graft or stent graft in this location of the aorta or the blood vessel, since such a graft may obstruct the flow of blood from the aorta into the branches.

Prior branch graft arrangements are complex and require many steps of insertion and removal to orient and align fenestrations in a main body to the surrounding anatomy and still more steps to insert, deploy, and seal a branch graft (covered stent) to the main stent graft body and to the wall of the branch vessel without unacceptable leakage.

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