Radially expandable stent IV

US6610086B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• W.C. Heraeus GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Wulf Kock · Alzenau, DE
• Gunter Herklotz · Bruchköbel, DE
• Matthias Frericks · Hanau, DE
• Jens Trötzschel · Ronneburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 28, 1999
• Grant date: Aug 26, 2003
• Expiry date: Jun 28, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61F2002/91566
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A radially expandable support structure is presented, for keeping open lumina within a body, in particular a blood vessel, having a tube-shaped structure that has at least two partial structures, with a wall surface that extends between a first and a second end, which has several cut out areas, in particular, slits, which are essentially oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube-shaped structure. At least one of the partial structures (11) extend without interruption in the axial direction generally from the first end to the second end of the tube-shaped structure. A first partial structure (1, 2) can be expanded at least in the radial direction and has at least one radial-expansion component. The individual radial expansion components (12, 13) are arranged as a helix or in a helix shape. A second partial structure (11) is generally almost rigid in the axial direction. The two partial structures (1, 2; 11) are arranged in such a way that during the radial expansion of the tube-shaped structure, the second partial structure (11) receives the longitudinal axial forces that arise.