Helical Side Branch Prosthesis for Aortic Arch Cannulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms and dissections in the aortic arch region is challenging due to the curved anatomy and presence of major arteries, making it difficult to maintain blood flow to branch vessels and achieve proper sealing and cannulation.
Innovation Solution
A prosthesis with a tubular graft main body and a helically extending side branch lumen, featuring a trough that is unstitched and frameless on its proximal axial side, allowing for unobstructed fluid communication and easier cannulation of branch vessels, with the side branch configured in a helical pattern to facilitate blood perfusion and reduce snagging of devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a custom made graft device is used to cover the aortic arch, then the arch vessels can be accommodated, but sealing along the aorta wall between the left common carotid and the left subclavian arteries becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthesis is divided into a main body and a separate side branch component. The side branch is deployed through a trough in the main body, allowing independent positioning and sealing optimization at the aorta wall interface while maintaining accommodation of arch vessels through the side branch lumen.
Solution Approach 2:
The trough acts as an intermediary structure between the main body and the side branch. It provides a controlled interface for deploying the side branch while maintaining the seal along the aorta wall, resolving the conflict between vessel accommodation and sealing reliability.
2Reliability
If fenestrations or side branches are provided in the stent graft to maintain blood flow to branch arteries, then blood supply to major arteries is preserved, but cannulation of these branch arteries becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating openings in the main body and deploying branches outward, the invention inverts the approach by providing an unobstructed proximal axial side of the trough boundary, allowing cannulation devices to access the side branch lumen from the main lumen through a clear, open pathway rather than through constrained fenestrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The obstruction elements (stitching and frames) are extracted from the proximal axial side of the trough boundary, creating a clear pathway for cannulation while maintaining the structural integrity of the prosthesis for reliable blood flow to branch arteries.
3Ease of operation
If the aortic arch region is treated with endovascular techniques, then less invasive treatment is achieved, but the curved anatomy and strong blood flow make deployment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The side branch is configured to extend in a helical pattern rather than a straight line, dynamically adapting to the curved anatomy of the aortic arch. This helical configuration allows the prosthesis to navigate and deploy effectively in the curved region while maintaining less invasive endovascular treatment benefits.
Data Source
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AI summary
Prostheses and methods of making the same are provided. The prosthesis (10) has an internal branch configuration. A trough (50) or branch opening is at least partially defined by a trough wall (52) extending into a main lumen from a sidewall (25) of the prosthesis. The internal branch extends from the trough (50) within the main lumen towards one of the outflow ends of the graft body (20) in an helical arrangement. Other arrangements are described. The prosthesis (10) may include a scalloped fenestration (80) having a width larger than the trough (50). The trough (50) may be positioned along a tapered region (20B) of the prosthesis. The trough (50) and internal branch may be made from the same graft material. The trough (50) and internal branch, in addition to the main graft body, may be made from the same graft material.