Steerable Stent Graft for Iliac Artery Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing iliac branch devices for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms are not interchangeable between common iliac arteries due to their mirror-image design, which limits their versatility and requires separate devices for each artery, potentially increasing inventory needs and procedural complexity.
Innovation Solution
A steerable endoluminal prosthesis with a prosthetic trunk and branch, featuring releasable steering members that allow the branch to be aligned neutrally or biased to either side, enabling flexible placement in either common iliac artery without the need for multiple device variants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If mirror-image design is used for iliac branch devices, then each device can be optimized for specific artery placement, but device interchangeability is lost and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by designing a single neutral prosthesis configuration that can be steered to either side, eliminating the need for mirror-image asymmetric designs. The prosthesis includes a neutral alignment position and steerable mechanisms that allow it to adapt to both left and right common iliac arteries, thereby achieving versatility without sacrificing placement optimization.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple device variants are maintained for different arteries, then optimal placement for each artery is achieved, but device complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by creating a single prosthesis design that can function in both left and right common iliac arteries. The device includes steerable mechanisms and neutral alignment capabilities that allow one universal device to replace multiple artery-specific variants, thereby reducing device complexity and inventory requirements while maintaining optimal placement capability.
3Device complexity
If fixed-side prosthesis design is used, then manufacturing and inventory are simplified, but adaptability to different patient anatomies is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by incorporating steerable mechanisms that allow the prosthesis to change its orientation and alignment after implantation. The device can be adjusted from a neutral position to align with either the left or right common iliac artery, providing anatomical adaptability while maintaining a single fixed manufacturing design, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and anatomical adaptability.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
A prosthesis may be used for treatment of an aneurismal body vessel. The prosthesis may include a prosthetic trunk (20) and a prosthetic branch (40). The prosthetic trunk may include a graft body (25), an open first end (21), an open second end (23), and a trunk lumen (29) extending therebetween. The prosthetic branch (40) may include a graft body (45), an open first end (41), an open second end (43), and a branch lumen (49) extending therebetween. The first end of the prosthetic branch may be attached to the prosthetic trunk (20), and the branch lumen may be in fluid communication with the trunk lumen. The prosthetic branch (40) may be movable in relation to the prosthetic trunk (20) between neutral, right biased, and left biased configurations. First and second releasable steering members (70, 90) may be associated with the respective first and second biased configurations and may cooperatively retain the prosthetic branch (40) in the neutral configuration.