Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha

Fumiaki Harada

Toshinobu Ishida

Kyuta Sagae

Masakiyo Nobuyoshi

An inner diameter retaining instrument for holding a predetermined expansion state of the lumen of a tubular organ such as a blood vessel, a digestive tract, or a windpipe is disclosed. This instrument is formed into a cylindrical shape or substantially cylindrical shape by a unidirectional shape memory alloy. The outer diameter of the cylindrical body at its transformation temperature (e.g., a temperature higher than a body temperature) is set to be smaller than the inner diameter of a tubular organ in which the cylindrical body is introduced. The instrument can be deformed to be radially expanded at, e.g., the body temperature or lower. As a cylindrical shape, a coil-like shape, a shape having a spiral section, a shape having a slit in its longitudinal direction, or a mesh-like shape can be arbitrarily selected.

Instrument for retaining inner diameter of tubular organ lumen

Expansion unit and apparatus for expanding tubular organ lumen

A catheter includes a cylindrical expansion holder detachable from its distal end portion to temporarily or permanently expand and hold an inner diameter of an internal cavity of a blood vessel or any other tubular organ. The outer diameter of the distal end portion of the catheter which supports the expansion holder is much smaller than that of other catheter portions. Even if the cylindrical expansion holder is supported on the small-diameter portion, the outer diameter of the expansion holder is equal to or smaller than that of other catheter portions. The expansion holder is made of a shape memory alloy which can radially expand or contract in accordance with changes in temperature. The expansion holder can expand or contract by supplying a warm or cool solution from side holes formed in the distal end portion of the catheter and bringing this solution into contact with the expansion holder.

Catheter for the introduction of an expandable member

Disclosed are an instrument for expanding a tubular organ such as a blood vessel and for keeping the tubular organ expanded for a predetermined period of time, and a catheter for mounting said instrument at a desired position within the tubular organ, said catheter being capable of moving and recovering the instrument mounted within the tubular organ. The instrument is formed of a two-way shape memory alloy and expands or shrinks in the radial direction, in accordance with changes in temperature. At least one side hole is formed at the distal end portion of the catheter, on which the instrument is detachably mounted.

Growing community of inventors

Fuji, Japan

Fumiaki Harada