Vascular Stent Assist Wire for Precise Confluence Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vascular stent deployment techniques lack precision, particularly at the confluence of blood vessels, leading to potential mispositioning and complications such as impeded flow and thrombosis, and stent fractures due to mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
A stent assist wire is attached to the stent or deployment apparatus, allowing precise positioning relative to known vascular features, ensuring accurate deployment at desired locations, even in distorted anatomical conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fluoroscopy is used for guidance during stent deployment, then the procedure can be performed minimally invasively, but the precision of stent placement is reduced due to inability to distinguish soft tissue structures
Solution Approach 1:
A radiopaque marker is introduced as an intermediary element between the stent and the fluoroscopy system. This marker provides enhanced radiopacity that can be distinctly visualized on fluoroscopy, serving as a reference point to accurately determine stent placement position and orientation relative to anatomical landmarks, thereby resolving the contradiction between minimal invasiveness and placement precision
2Productivity
If catheter manipulation is performed to reach the target site, then stent delivery to the confluence is achieved, but anatomical distortion occurs leading to mispositioning
Solution Approach 1:
The radiopaque marker is positioned and visualized before stent deployment to establish a reference framework. Pre-procedural angiography is performed to map the vascular anatomy and plan the approach. These preliminary actions allow the operator to anticipate anatomical distortions during catheter manipulation and adjust the deployment strategy accordingly, maintaining placement accuracy despite the necessary catheter manipulation to reach the confluence
3Reliability
If stent is deployed at the confluence of blood vessels, then vascular repair is achieved, but flow impedement and thrombosis risk increase due to mispositioning
Solution Approach 1:
Real-time fluoroscopic imaging with the radiopaque marker provides continuous visual feedback during stent deployment. The operator can observe the marker's position relative to the confluence and adjust the stent's final position to ensure it is correctly oriented and positioned. This feedback mechanism prevents mispositioning that would cause flow impedement or thrombosis, while still achieving effective vascular repair at the confluence
Data Source
AI summary
A vascular stent deployment system is delivered to a repair site in the body by means of a catheter. The deployment system apparatus comprises a vascular stent to effect the repair, a delivery sheath in which the unexpanded vascular stent is delivered to the repair site, and a pusher rod for ejecting the stent from the delivery sheath for deployment. The system further comprises a stent assist wire, located in relation to the stent, which is positioned in relation to a known feature of the vasculature, thereby assuring that the stent is accurately deployed at the repair site.