Stent with improved radiopacity and appearance characteristics
US5607442A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 1995 |
| Grant date | Mar 4, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F2250/0098
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A stent (10) is plated with a high density, radiopaque metal (or alloy) such as gold or tantalum. Specifically, the stent (10) is plated to a sufficient thickness (15) on its longitudinal wires (12) to make it clearly radiopaque in fluoroscopy, but the generally circumferential wires (11) are plated to a much lesser thickness (14) so that they are not distinctly radiopaque. Before the stent (10) is deployed radially outward in a vessel of the human body, the longitudinal wires (12) are very close together so the implanting physician can easily discern the proximal and distal extremities of the stent (10). Furthermore, the physician can readily discern that the stent (10) has been deployed because the longitudinals (12) will separate to an increased distance from each other after proper deployment. Still further, if the stent does not properly deploy, fluoroscopy will indicate that there is an indentation (12A) or (12C) in one or more longitudinal hence informing the physician that he should inflate a high pressure balloon at the end of a balloon angioplasty catheter to further deploy the stent (10) radially outward against the inner wall of the vessel. Proper stent deployment is ch…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.