Abstract: An imageable extendable stent apparatus for insertion into a bifurcating vessel or a vessel opening. The stent apparatus comprises a main stent and a flared stent, which may used individually or in combination with each other. The flared stent may be interlocked with the main stent to provide stent coverage over the entire region of a bifurcation. The main stent of the apparatus may be deployed at the bifurcation point of a vessel, allowing unimpeded future access to the side branch of the bifurcated vessel. The flared stent may be employed at vessel openings. Also disclosed and claimed are methods for implanting the extendable stent apparatus into the bifurcation point or the ostium of a subject vessel.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a stent for use in a bifurcated body lumen having a main branch and a side branch. The stent comprises a radially expandable generally tubular stent body having proximal and distal opposing ends with a body wall having a surface extending therebetween. The surface has a geometrical configuration defining a first pattern, and the first pattern has first pattern struts and connectors arranged in a predetermined configuration. The stent also comprises a branch portion comprised of a second pattern, wherein the branch portion is at least partially detachable from the stent body.

Abstract: The bifurcating double stent apparatus (10) of the present invention comprises a generally cylindrical main stent (12), a generally cylindrical branch stent (15), which are shown as fully dilated in a subject main vessel (8), and a subject branch vessel (7). The main stent (12) is deployed prior to the branch stent (15) which is then aligned with the side opening (16) of the main stent (12), and attached at that location.

Abstract: The present invention provides exemplary apparatus, systems and methods for accurately delivering and positioning a stent within a body lumen, particularly within a bifurcated body lumen. In one embodiment, a stent delivery system (100) includes a catheter (15) comprising a catheter body having a distal end, a proximal end, a longitudinal axis (200) and a lumen. An expansion device, which in one embodiment is a balloon (20), is disposed near the catheter body distal end, and a stent (10) having a side hole (12) is disposed over the expansion device. An ultrasound transducer (22) is disposed near the catheter body distal end and positioned for transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals through the side hole to help properly align the stent side hole with a branch vessel (16).

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a stent for use in a bifurcated body lumen having a main branch and a side branch. The stent comprises a radially expandable generally tubular stent body having proximal and distal opposing ends with a body wall having a surface extending therebetween. The surface has a geometrical configuration defining a first pattern, and the first pattern has first pattern struts and connectors arranged in a predetermined configuration. The stent also comprises a branch portion comprised of a second pattern, wherein the branch portion is at least partially detachable from the stent body.

Abstract: The present invention concerns novel stent apparatuses for use in treating lesions at or near the bifurcation point in bifurcated cardiac, coronary, renal, peripheral vascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and neurovascular vessels and brain vessels. More particularly, the invention concerns a stent apparatus with at least one side opening which may further comprise an extendable stent portion laterally extending from the side opening and at least partly in registry with the wall of the side opening.

Abstract: The present invention concerns novel stent apparatuses for use in treating lesions at or near the bifurcation point in bifurcated cardiac, coronary, renal, peripheral vascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and neurovascular vessels and brain vessels. More particularly, the invention concerns a stent apparatus with at least one side opening which may further comprise an extendable stent portion laterally extending from the side opening and at least partly in registry with the wall of the side opening.

Abstract: A method of positioning a main stent at a vessel bifurcation such that a side opening in the main stent is positioned at the ostium of a branch vessel, comprising: positioning a main guidewire in the main vessel such that a distal end of the main guidewire extends past the bifurcation; advancing a stent delivery system to a position proximate the bifurcation, the stent delivery system comprising a catheter with a flexible side sheath attached thereto, wherein the catheter is received over the main guidewire, and wherein the main stent is positioned over the catheter with the flexible side sheath positioned to pass through the interior of the main stent and out of the side opening in the main stent; advancing a branch guidewire through the flexible side sheath attached to the catheter and into the branch vessel; and subsequently, advancing the catheter over the main guidewire while advancing the flexible side sheath over the branch guidewire while viewing relative movement of a marker positioned on the flexibl

Abstract: A system and method for delivering and positioning a stent within a bifurcated body lumen includes a stent delivery system including a catheter, expansion device, a stent with a side hole disposed on the expansion device, and an ultrasound transducer disposed between the expansion device and the stent. The ultrasound transducer is configured for transmitting and receiving signals and for imaging of a body lumen so as to locate an ostium of a branch vessel and facilitate alignment of the stent side hole with the ostium.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for deploying a stent (20) in a bifurcated body lumen (10). The stent comprises a tubular body defining a lumen therethrough and having a side hole. The tubular body has a first portion (28) with a first wall mass and a second portion (26) with a second wall mass. The first wall mass is less than the second wall mass. When deployed, first portions of two stents overlap in a bifurcated body lumen. The side holes of the two stents are aligned with ostium of branch vessels (14, 16) at a bifurcated body lumen.

Abstract: The present invention concerns novel stent apparatuses for use in treating lesions at or near the bifurcation point in bifurcated cardiac, coronary, renal, peripheral vascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and neurovascular vessels and brain vessels. More particularly, the invention concerns a stent apparatus with at least one side opening which may further comprise an extendable stent portion laterally extending from the side opening and at least partly in registry with the wall of the side opening.

Abstract: A method of aligning a side opening in a primary stent in registry with the ostium of a branch vessel includes advancing a first guidewire through a primary vessel such that a distal end of the first guidewire extends past an intersection of the primary vessel and the branch vessel, advancing a catheter over the first guidewire to the intersection of the primary vessel and the branch vessel. A second guidewire is advanced out of the stent through the side opening and into the branch vessel.

Abstract: These methods describe a collimated x-ray beam, used for in vivo phase-contrast x-ray imaging of the interior architecture of carbon-based objects, such as the intact human soft-tissue anatomy, for mapping the decrements of refraction experienced by the incident x-ray beam. These methods utilize a microscopically-thin laser-produced plasma x-ray spatial line-source, specified in the target plane as 50 microns or less in width and orthogonally, greater than one centimeter in length, requiring an optically-reflective mirror to line-focus cylindrically-shaped femptosecond pulses of infrared laser photons onto a heavy metal target. Bragg-diffractive multilayer x-ray mirrors collect a wide solid-angle of characteristic hard x-rays in the 15 KeV-to-100 KeV range from the spatial line-source, yielding a microscopically-thin x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam, specified in the object plane as 50 microns or less in width and orthogonally, greater than seven centimeters in length.

Abstract: A method of positioning a main stent at a vessel bifurcation such that a side opening in the main stent is positioned at the ostium of a branch vessel, comprising: positioning a main guidewire in the main vessel such that a distal end of the main guidewire extends past the bifurcation; advancing a stent delivery system to a position proximate the bifurcation, the stent delivery system comprising a catheter with a flexible side sheath attached thereto, wherein the catheter is received over the main guidewire, and wherein the main stent is positioned over the catheter with the flexible side sheath positioned to pass through the interior of the main stent and out of the side opening in the main stent; advancing a branch guidewire through the flexible side sheath attached to the catheter and into the branch vessel; and subsequently, advancing the catheter over the main guidewire while advancing the flexible side sheath over the branch guidewire while viewing relative movement of a marker positioned on the flexibl

Abstract: An imageable extendable stent apparatus for insertion into a bifurcating vessel or a vessel opening. The stent apparatus comprises a main stent and a flared stent, which may used individually or in combination with each other. The flared stent may be interlocked with the main stent to provide stent coverage over the entire region of a bifurcation. The main stent of the apparatus may be deployed at the bifurcation point of a vessel, allowing unimpeded future access to the side branch of the bifurcated vessel. The flared stent may be employed at vessel openings. Also disclosed and claimed are methods for implanting the extendable stent apparatus into the bifurcation point or the ostium of a subject vessel.

Abstract: An imageable extendable stent apparatus for insertion into a bifurcating vessel or a vessel opening. The stent apparatus comprises a main stent and a flared stent, which may used individually or in combination with each other. The flared stent may be interlocked with the main stent to provide stent coverage over the entire region of a bifurcation. The main stent of the apparatus may be deployed at the bifurcation point of a vessel, allowing unimpeded future access to the side branch of the bifurcated vessel. The flared stent may be employed at vessel openings. Also disclosed and claimed are methods for implanting the extendable stent apparatus into the bifurcation point or the ostium of a subject vessel.

Abstract: The present invention concerns novel stent apparatuses for use in treating lesions at or near the bifurcation point in bifurcated cardiac, coronary, renal, peripheral vascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and neurovascular vessels and brain vessels. More particularly, the invention concerns a stent apparatus with at least one side opening which may further comprise an extendable stent portion laterally extending from the side opening and at least partly in registry with the wall of the side opening.

Abstract: The present invention concerns novel stent apparatuses for use in treating lesions at or near the bifurcation point in bifurcated cardiac, coronary, renal, peripheral vascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and neurovascular vessels and brain vessels. More particularly, the invention concerns a stent apparatus with at least one side opening which may further comprise an extendable stent portion laterally extending from the side opening and at least partly in registry with the wall of the side opening.

Abstract: As described in the methods of the present invention, x-ray photons derived from a microscopic solid-density plasma that is produced by optically focusing a high power laser beam upon a high atomic number target, may be use for phase-contast medical microimaging and also for absorptive microradiography. As described in the methods of the present invention, x-rays derived from a microscopic solid-density plasma are utilized as object illumination sources that are microscopic in at least one direction (so that ultrathin slicebeams and fan-beams are allowed, as are linear arrays of numerous clusterd parallel microbeams). Collimating optical devices of prior art are required.

Abstract: The present invention concerns novel stent apparatuses for use in treating lesions at or near the bifurcation point in bifurcated cardiac, coronary, renal, peripheral vascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urinary and neurovascular vessels and brain vessels. More particularly, the invention concerns a stent apparatus with at least one side opening which may further comprise an extendable stent portion laterally extending from the side opening and at least partly in registry with the wall of the side opening.