Luminal stent, holding structure therefor and device for attaching luminal stent

Abstract

A luminal stent is a tubular body formed by knitting a sole yarn of a bioresorbable polymer fiber, such as fiber of polylactic acid, polyglycol acid or a polylactic acid—polyglycol acid copolymer. When introduced into and attached to the inside of the vessel by a catheter fitted with a balloon, the tubular member may retain its shape for several weeks to several months after attachment and subsequently disappears by being absorbed into the living tissue. In this manner, the luminal stent is not left as a foreign matter semi-permanently in the living body without producing inflammation or hypertrophy in the vessel. There is also provided a method for attaching the luminal stent in the vessel.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThis invention relates to a stent introduced into a vessel, such as a blood vessel, lymph vessel, bile duct or ureter for maintaining the shape of the vessel. More particularly, it relates to a luminal stent attached to a site of angioplasty after the operation of percutaneous angioplasty of a stenotic part of the blood vessel, such as artery (the operation of introducing a balloon forming portion annexed to the end of a catheter into a constricted portion of the blood vessel for forming a ballooning for dilating the constricted portion for improving blood flow) and a device for attaching the luminal stent.BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGYAs this type of the luminal stent, there is known a tubular stent constituted by wrapping a meshed structure formed by intertwining longitudinal and transverse wires of e.g. stainless steel. Such tubular stent is introduced into the site of angioplasty and dilated there so as to be attached thereto.This known type of the stent however suffers fr...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This known type of the stent however suffers from the problems that it is hard and tends to stress the vessel to produce inflammation of hypertrophy in the vessel which may cause reconstriction in the vessel, and that the stent is semipermanently left as a foreign matter within the living body, which is inherently not desirable to the living body.

If the metal stent, which is left in the vessel semipermanently or for a time longer than is necessary, is attached within the vessel, it may occur that the stent turns out to be a kind of a nucleus and the risk is high that stenosis be again caused in the site of attachment of the stent.

Besides, an injury done to the vessel around the stent tends to cause abnormal multiplication of living cells on the inner wall of the vessel to contract the vessel.

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