Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for maintaining patency in the body passages

US5078736A · kind A · utility

657Cited by
15References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 4, 1990
Grant dateJan 7, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 4, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61F2002/075
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An intraluminal stent for maintaining patency in body passages subject to invasive tissue growth includes a cylindrical wall having radial passages therethrough. A mechanism is provided for disrupting cellular growth which penetrates through the passages. The mechanism may provide for mechanical disruption, thermal disruption, or preferably for excision using radio frequency energy. In a specific embodiment, the cylindrical wall is defined by a tubular mesh, and the mechanism for disrupting cellular growth comprises parallel wires within the mesh. The wires are connected to an external radio frequency source and act as electrodes in effecting excision using the radio frequency energy.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.