Abstract: Treating a site within the body by, e.g., placing an endoprosthesis into the body, with a catheter having a proximal portion remaining outside the body and a shaft for positioning inside the body. The shaft includes in a distal portion a selectively expandable member which can be expanded from a small cross-sectional profile for receiving said endoprosthesis about said expandable member in a compact configuration and a large, expanded cross-sectional profile for expanding said prosthesis during placement into the body, and an elastic strip wrapped in helical fashion about said expandable member such that the strip is stretched when said expandable member is expanded to said large cross-sectional profile.

Abstract: An implantable self-expanding medical prosthesis. The prosthesis has a tube-form body with a body wall structure having a geometric pattern of cells defined by a series of elongate strands extending to regions of intersection and interlocking joints at said regions of intersection formed by a portion of at least one of said strands being helically wrapped about a portion of another.

Abstract: A vascular filter comprises an emboli-capturing portion having a set of helical filter-wires joined at a central region and extending in a given direction along the blood vessel in a diverging relationship to the axis of the filter, the wires terminating in free ends constructed to engage the walls of said vessel. A major mid-portion of the length of the free ended wires are of generally helical form, cooperatively related to form an effective emboli capturing array. Anchoring is accomplished by a separate assembly formed of struts and anchoring devices. A parallelogram supporting strut assembly and other means for providing linear engagement with the wall of the vena cava are shown. The parallelogram structure is shown to have filter capability by itself as well.

Abstract: An implantable self-expanding medical prosthesis. The prosthesis has a tube-form body with a body wall structure having a geometric pattern of cells defined by a series of elongate strands extending to regions of intersection and interlocking joints at said regions of intersection formed by a portion of at least one of said strands being helically wrapped about a portion of another.

Abstract: An implantable self-expanding medical prosthesis. The prosthesis has a tube-form body with a body wall structure having a geometric pattern of cells defined by a series of elongate strands extending to regions of intersection and interlocking joints at said regions of intersection formed by a portion of at least one of said strands being helically wrapped about a portion of another.

Abstract: A blood clot filter comprising: an anchoring portion comprising a generally cylindrical self-expanding body formed from resilient material, the generally cylindrical body having proximal and distal ends and defining an axial direction and having a structure of variable size diameter expandable from a low-profile compressed condition to a larger profile expanded condition, wherein the resilient material urges the generally cylindrical body to radially expand and to thereby apply anchoring radial force against the inner wall surface of the blood vessel; and a generally conical filtering portion axially aligned with the generally cylindrical body having an open proximal end coupled to the distal end of the anchoring portion and having an apical distal end. Also disclosed is a blood clot filter having one or more hooks fixedly coupled to the anchoring portion and formed from compliant material having an original shape that bends under stress yet returns to its original shape when unstressed.

Abstract: Treating a site within the body by, e.g., placing an endoprosthesis into the body, with a catheter having a proximal portion remaining outside the body and a shaft for positioning inside the body. The shaft includes in a distal portion a selectively expandable member which can be expanded from a small cross-sectional profile for receiving said endoprosthesis about said expandable member in a compact configuration and a large, expanded cross-sectional profile for expanding said prosthesis during placement into the body, and an elastic strip wrapped in helical fashion about said expandable member such that the strip is stretched when said expandable member is expanded to said large cross-sectional profile.

Abstract: A vascular filter-comprises an emboli-capturing portion having a set of helical filter-wires joined at a central region and extending in a given direction along the blood vessel in a diverging relationship to the axis of the filter, the wires terminating in free ends constructed to engage the walls of said vessel. A major mid-portion of the length of the free ended wires are of generally helical form, cooperatively related to form an effective emboli capturing array. Anchoring is accomplished by a separate assembly formed of struts and anchoring devices. A parallelogram supporting strut assembly and other members for providing linear engagement with the wall of the vena cava are shown. The parallelogram structure is shown to have filter capability by itself as well.

Abstract: Treating a site within the body by, e.g., placing an endoprosthesis into the body, with a catheter having a proximal portion remaining outside the body and a shaft for positioning inside the body. The shaft includes in a distal portion a selectively expandable member which can be expanded from a small cross-sectional profile for receiving said endoprosthesis about said expandable member in a compact configuration and a large, expanded cross-sectional profile for expanding said prosthesis during placement into the body, and an elastic strip wrapped in helical fashion about said expandable member such that the strip is stretched when said expandable member is expanded to said large cross-sectional profile.

Abstract: This invention is a blood clot filter having an anchoring portion (402) which includes a generally cylindrical self-expanding body. A generally conical filtering portion (400) is axially aligned with the cylindrical body (402), has an open proximal end (406) coupled to a distal end of the anchoring portion, and an apical distal end (404). In a preferred embodiment, the filter portion (400) is formed from strands (410) of resilient material that extend from the apical distal end (404) to the open proximal end (406). The strands (410) form twisted pairs (408) that converge at the apical distal end (404). The strands (410) diverge from the twisted pairs (408) in crossing paths to form a pattern of open filtering cells (A)(B)(C). The filter also has hooks (413) coupled to the anchoring portion (402) and formed from compliant material having an original shaped that bends under stress yet returns to its original shaped when unstressed.

Abstract: A vascular filter comprises an emboli-capturing portion having a set of helical filter-wires joined at a central region and extending in a given direction along the blood vessel in a diverging relationship to the axis of the filter, the wires terminating in free ends constructed to engage the walls of said vessel. A major mid-portion of the length of the free ended wires are of generally helical form, cooperatively related to form an effective emboli capturing array. Anchoring is accomplished by a separate assembly formed of struts and anchoring devices. A parallelogram supporting strut assembly and other means for providing linear engagement with the wall of the vena cava are shown. The parallelogram structure is shown to have filter capability by itself as well.

Abstract: An implantable self-expanding medical prosthesis. The prosthesis has a tube-form body with a body wall structure having a geometric pattern of cells defined by a series of elongate strands extending to regions of intersection and interlocking joints at said regions of intersection formed by a portion of at least one of said strands being helically wrapped about a portion of another.

Abstract: Treating a site within the body by, e.g., placing an endoprosthesis into the body, with a catheter having a proximal portion remaining outside the body and a shaft for positioning inside the body. The shaft includes in a distal portion a selectively expandable member which can be expanded from a small cross-sectional profile for receiving said endoprosthesis about said expandable member in a compact configuration and a large, expanded cross-sectional profile for expanding said prosthesis during placement into the body, and an elastic strip wrapped in helical fashion about said expandable member such that the strip is stretched when said expandable member is expanded to said large cross-sectional profile.

Abstract: A blood clot filter including an anchoring portion including a generally cylindrical self-expanding body formed from resilient material, the generally cylindrical body having proximal and distal ends and defining an axial direction and having a structure of variable size diameter expandable from a low-profile compressed condition to a larger profile expanded condition, wherein the resilient material urges the generally cylindrical body to radially expand and to thereby apply anchoring radial force against the inner wall surface of the blood vessel; and a generally conical filtering portion axially aligned with the generally cylindrical body having an open proximal end coupled to the distal end of the anchoring portion and having an apical distal end. Also disclosed is a blood clot filter having one or more hooks fixedly coupled to the anchoring portion and formed from compliant material having an original shape that bends under stress yet returns to its original shape when unstressed.