| abstract |
A delivery system for implantation of a self-expanding stent in a vessel consists of an elongate flexible catheter for delivering a self-expanding stent to a predetermined location in a vessel. The stent surrounds the flexible catheter near its distal end and is held in a delivery configuration where the stent has a reduced radius along its entire axial length by a stent retaining and release means. The stent retaining and release means is either one or more slipping sleeves which either contain the stent themselves or form a waterproof chamber with the stent being contained by water soluble bands or swelling bands. The stent retaining and release means can also be a pair of sleeves connected to hydraulic pistons, or a pair of sleeves connected to push/pull wires. n An alternate embodiment of the delivery system uses a stent retaining and release means which is a single layer sheath retaining sleeve means for retaining the stent in its delivery configuration attached to a slipping sleeve means for releasing the stent to self-expand. A balloon may optionally be used to seat the stent in the vessel after self-expansion. The stent may also optionally be retained by water soluble or swelling bands. n Another alternate embodiment of the delivery system is described where the stent is held in its reduced delivery configuration by a swelling band stent retaining and release means for retaining the stent in the delivery configuration and for deploying the stent, comprised of at least one band made of a water swelling material, which holds the self-expanding stent it its delivery configuration against the outwardly urging force of the self-expanding stent until fluid swells the band, thereby releasing the stent to self-expand. |