EP0423916A1 — Percutaneous stent

USPTO Abstract

A self-expanding stent (10) formed of stainless steel wire arranged in a closed zig-zag configuration includes an endless series of straight sections (13) joined at their ends by bends (14). The stent is compressible into a reduced diameter size for insertion into and removal from a body passageway. The bends of at least one end of the stent are formed into eyes (20) for connection with the eyes at one end of a similarly constructed stent to permit single-step introduction of several lengths of stent into the passageway. A stent can include a monofilament thread (40) passing through successive eyes at one end of the stent, the thread passing through each eye at least once and through some of the eyes a second time. The trailing ends (40a, 40b) of the thread extend from the stent and outside the body passageway. The stent can be retrieved from the body passageway by threading a tube (70) over the free ends of the thread until the tube is adjacent the stent. The diameter at one end of the stent is reduced by pulling the free ends of the thread through the tube. A sheath (75) concentrically disposed over the tube is introduced into the body passageway and over the remaining length of the stent to further compress the stent for removal from the passageway.