Retrievable Cerebral Venous Sinus Stent for Precise Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stents designed for cerebral venous sinuses are not suitable for precise placement, cannot be repositioned or removed, and often obstruct flow due to their design and inelastic nature, failing to address the unique anatomy and length requirements of cerebral venous sinuses.
Innovation Solution
A self-expandable, retrievable and re-sheathable stent made of platinum, cobalt, chromium, stainless steel, and titanium alloy, with a closed cell pattern and variable cell size, allowing for precise delivery, repositioning, and secure apposition to the venous sinus walls, and optionally coated for therapeutic delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If current stent designs with numerous and thick struts are used to expand calcified atherosclerotic plaque, then the stent provides sufficient structural strength and expansion force, but the risk of obstructing flow from tributary veins into the cerebral venous sinus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is divided into multiple segments or cells along its length, with each cell providing localized expansion force. This segmentation allows the stent to maintain overall structural strength while reducing the thickness and number of individual struts, thereby minimizing obstruction of tributary vein flow into the cerebral venous sinus.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent structure varies its properties along its length, with thicker struts positioned where maximum expansion force is needed (at the stenosis site) and thinner struts in regions where flow preservation is critical. This local variation in strut thickness optimizes the balance between expansion capability and flow maintenance.
2Reliability
If existing stents are placed in cerebral venous sinuses to treat stenosis, then the stent provides immediate structural support, but the stent cannot be repositioned, retrieved, or removed once positioned
Solution Approach 1:
The stent incorporates a dynamic delivery system that allows the stent to transition between a deployed state (providing structural support) and a retrievable state (allowing repositioning or removal). This is achieved through a mechanism that can be actuated after initial positioning, enabling the stent to be recaptured in the delivery catheter if repositioning is needed, thus providing both stability and operational flexibility.
3Length of moving object
If the length of the stent is increased to treat the entire length of cerebral venous sinus stenosis, then the stent covers the full treatment area, but the delivery system becomes more difficult to navigate through intracranial veins
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is designed with a nested or telescoping structure that allows a long stent to be compressed into a compact form for delivery through narrow intracranial vessels. The stent segments can be nested within each other during delivery, reducing the profile to facilitate navigation, and then expanded to full length once positioned at the stenosis site.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent employs flexible materials and a thin-film construction that allow the long stent to bend and conform to the tortuous path of intracranial veins during delivery. This flexibility enables the stent to navigate complex vascular anatomy while maintaining its full length capability for treating extensive stenosis.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The stent provides precise placement, reduces restenosis and thrombus formation, maintains patency, and allows for safe navigation through intracranial veins, enhancing treatment of conditions like idiopathic intracranial hypertension and cerebral venous insufficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The stent body is formed from a shape memory alloy and has a predetermined memory configuration corresponding to an expanded deployed configuration
Implementation Method 2
The stent body is formed from a shape memory alloy and has a predetermined memory configuration corresponding to an expanded deployed configuration
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3A
AI summary
A stent for insertion into an intracranial blood vessel of the cerebral venous sinus system includes a proximal end, a distal end, a body between the proximal end and the distal end, the body comprising a plurality of wires in a closed pattern, wherein the stent is configured for insertion into an intracranial blood vessel of the cerebral venous sinus system. The stent is further capable of being repositioned, retrieved/re-sheathed, and removed for more precise delivery.