Bifurcated dual-balloon catheter system for bifurcated vessels

Abstract

A bifurcated dual-balloon catheter apparatus for deploying one or more stents to a bifurcated vessel or for use in angioplasty procedures involving bifurcated vessels. The apparatus is particularly suited for bifurcated vessels of the type comprising a main branch from which a side branch extends therefrom. The apparatus has loon and a side branch balloon. A conduit is provided in the main branch balloon through which a portion of the side branch balloon extends. The first balloon is positionable within the main branch of the vessel while the distal portion of the second balloon is positionable within the side branch such that when the first and second balloons are inflated, the first balloon expands radially in the main branch while the distal portion of said second balloon maintains registration with the side branch by expanding radially therein.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to an inflatable balloon apparatus for deploying one or more stents to a bifurcated vessel or for use in angioplasty procedures involving bifurcated vessels. The apparatus is particularly suited for bifurcated vessels of the type comprising a main branch from which a side branch extends therefrom.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The term stent has been used interchangeably with terms such as intraluminal vascular graft and expansible prosthesis. As used throughout this specification, the term stent is intended to have a broad meaning and encompasses any expandable prosthetic device for implantation in a body passageway (e.g. a lumen or artery).[0003]There have been various attempts at addressing the delivery and deployment of stents at bifurcated lesions. Bifurcated vessels may be of the Y-type, wherein a main branch bifurcates into two secondary branches, or of the T-type, wherein a side branch extends from a main branch. Wh...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a dual-balloon bifurcated balloon catheter for use in angioplasty or placement of stents in the main vessel and branched vessel of a bifurcated vessel with high accuracy. The invention allows for inflation in a consistent manner and reduces or eliminates side-by-side overlapping of the balloons. The main branch balloon has an internal conduit that accommodates the proximal end portion of the side branch balloon, further minimizing the profile of the balloon system. Overall, the invention provides a flexible, low-profile, and reliable device for medical procedures.

Problems solved by technology

Other previous balloon delivery systems that assist in positioning the stents with accuracy in the bifurcated lesions, particularly involved in the procedure of double balloon sequential dilation for the stent, have not proven to be very successful.

Their limitations have led to the development of specifically designed balloons to treat bifurcation lesions, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,324 to Tu et al.

This design has its limitations in that it will help to solve specific bifurcation lesions when the distal branches have a Y-shape and the size of the distal vessels are smaller than the size of the proximal vessel (e.g. the aortic artery at bifurcation with iliac arteries) but it is not suitable if the size of one of the distal branches is equal to the proximal vessel size, and not suitable for the side branched vessels which are the majority of the cases.

The difficulty in using two balloons at a T-shaped bifurcated vessel is that the balloons overlap in one side of the main branch.

When expanded, this causes the overlapping balloon portions to expand more than the distal portion of the balloon in the other side of the main branch, resulting in uneven circumferential expansion of the stent in the main branch.

One of the drawbacks of Applicant's prior dual balloon designs, is that the use of restrictive sleeves and / or additional support bands, or the side-by-side overlapping of the proximal portions of the balloon, even with the provision of the grooved main branch balloon, increases the effective wall thickness and / or bulk of the balloon system at certain locations.

This can lead to inconsistent inflation as well as a lessening of flexibility of the balloon catheter system during deployment.

A disadvantage with respect to the use of a contiguous or unitary balloon system is that the size of the catheter usually needs to be of a larger diameter to accommodate the three lumens for receiving the guide wires for the main branch balloon portion and the side branch balloon portion as well as for the communication of inflation fluid.

However, with a dual balloon system, separate catheters having included lumen pairs for guide wires and inflation fluids may be used which actually has been found to reduces the overall diameter needed therefor.

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