72 results about "Aortic wall" patented technology

A valve prosthesis for implantation in the body by use of a catheter includes a stent made from an expandable cylinder-shaped thread structure including several spaced apices. The elastically collapsible valve is mounted on the stent as the commissural points of the valve are secured to the projecting apices. The valve prosthesis can be compressed around balloons of the balloon catheter and inserted in a channel, for instance, in the aorta. When the valve prosthesis is placed correctly, the balloons are inflated to expand the stent and wedge it against the wall of the aorta. The balloons are provided with beads to ensure a steady fastening of the valve prosthesis on the balloons during insertion and expansion. The valve prosthesis and the balloon catheter make it possible to insert a cardiac valve prosthesis without a surgical operation involving opening the thoracic cavity.

A prosthetic heart valve having an internal support frame with a continuous, undulating leaflet frame defined therein. The leaflet frame has three cusp regions positioned at an inflow end intermediate three commissure regions positioned at an outflow end thereof. The leaflet frame may be cloth covered and flexible leaflets attached thereto form occluding surfaces of the valve. The support frame further includes three cusp positioners rigidly fixed with respect to the leaflet frame and located at the outflow end of the support frame intermediate each pair of adjacent commissure regions. The valve is desirably compressible so as to be delivered in a minimally invasive manner through a catheter to the site of implantation. Upon expulsion from catheter, the valve expands into contact with the surrounding native valve annulus and is anchored in place without the use of sutures. In the aortic valve position, the cusp positioners angle outward into contact with the sinus cavities, and compress the native leaflets if they are not excised, or the aortic wall if they are. The support frame may be formed from a flat sheet of Nitinol that is bent into a three-dimensional configuration and heat set. A holder having spring-like arms connected to inflow projections of the valve may be used to deliver, reposition and re-collapse the valve, if necessary.

A method and system for generating a patient specific anatomical heart model is disclosed. A sequence of volumetric image data, such as computed tomography (CT), echocardiography, or magnetic resonance (MR) image data of a patient's cardiac region is received. A multi-component patient specific 4D geometric model of the heart and aorta estimated from the sequence of volumetric cardiac imaging data. A patient specific 4D computational model based on one or more of personalized geometry, material properties, fluid boundary conditions, and flow velocity measurements in the 4D geometric model is generated. Patient specific material properties of the aortic wall are estimated using the 4D geometrical model and the 4D computational model. Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) simulations are performed using the 4D computational model and estimated material properties of the aortic wall, and patient specific clinical parameters are extracted based on the FSI simulations. Disease progression modeling and risk stratification are performed based on the patient specific clinical parameters.

At the present time, physicians often treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) using radiofrequency (RF) catheter systems to ablate conducting tissue in the wall of the Left Atrium of the heart around the ostium of the pulmonary veins. These systems are expensive and take time consuming to use. The present invention circular ablation system CAS includes a multiplicity of expandable needles that can be expanded around a central axis and positioned to inject a fluid like ethanol to ablate conductive tissue in a ring around the ostium of a pulmonary vein quickly and without the need for expensive capital equipment. The expansion of the needles is accomplished by self-expanding or balloon expandable structures. The invention includes centering means so that the needles will be situated in a pattern surrounding the outside of the ostium of a vein. Also included are members that limit the distance of penetration of the needles into the wall of the left atrium, or the aortic wall. The present invention also has an important application to ablate tissue around the ostium of one or both renal arteries, for the ablation of the sympathetic nerve fibers and/or other afferent or efferent nerves going to or from each kidney in order to treat hypertension.

An aortic root prosthesis for being implanted into a patient during a valve sparing surgery as a replacement for a biological aortic root segment of an ascending aorta is disclosed. The aortic root prosthesis includes a hollow, annular tube having proximal and distal ends, and an inner and outer wall. The distal end is for being attached to the ascending aorta. A plurality of sinuses are circumferentially connected to the proximal end of the tube. Each of the sinuses is adapted for being attached to the aortic wall. Each of the sinuses also includes contouring means for imparting a convex contour to an outer wall of the sinus to thereby create a space between the open leaflet and its respective sinus to prevent impact between the leaflet of the valve and the inner wall of the sinus.

The present invention is distinguished by a perfusion catheter being provided comprising at least one perfusion channel designed as a hollow channel and at least two dilation units disposed at a distance from each other at the distal catheter region in the longitudinal extension of the catheter, both the dilation units being projected through by the perfusion catheter and forming in an inflated state an at least practically fluid-tight occlusion with the aortic wall, of which the dilation units at least said dilation unit disposed on the proximal side is provided with at least one passage through which at least one auxiliary catheter can be introduced aortic valve ablation in a fluid-tight manner and/or the perfusion catheter is provided with a working channel which is provided with an outlet opening in the region between the two dilation units and through which at least one auxiliary catheter can be introduced for aortic valve ablation.

A delivery system and method for percutaneous aortic valve (PAV) replacement and apparatus used therein. A temporary aortic valve comprised of a reversibly expandable occluding means, such as balloons, surrounds a central catheter mechanism. The temporary valve is positioned within the ascending aorta, just above and downstream from the coronary ostia. The occluding means is configured such that, when fully expanded against the aortic wall, gaps are left that promote continuous coronary perfusion during the cardiac cycle. The temporary valve with occluding means substitutes for the function of the native aortic valve during its replacement. The native aortic valve is next dilated, and then ablated through deployment of low profile, elongated, sequentially delivered stents. The ablation stent(s) displace the native valve tissues and remain within the aortic annulus to receive and provide a structure for retaining the PAV. The PAV is delivered, positioned and deployed within the ablation stent(s) at the aortic annulus with precision and relative ease. Ablation of the native aortic valve removes the structural obstacles to precise PAV placement. The temporary aortic valve mediates the hemodynamic forces upon the devices as encountered by the surgeon following native valve ablation. The temporary valve also promotes patient stability through continuous coronary perfusion and a moderated transvalvular pressure gradient and regurgitation. Sequential delivery of low profile PAV components minimize the risk of trauma and injury to vascular tissues. Mathematical considerations for determining the optimum cross-sectional area for the temporary valve blood perfusion gaps are also described.

A steerable three dimensional catheter to engage the ostium of a right coronary artery in a patient includes: a torque-transmitting proximal shaft that receives manipulation by a user outside a patient in whom the catheter is used; and a distal shaft that is responsive to torque transmitted by the proximal shaft. The distal shaft includes a preformed support section having at least a segment that abuts a posterior or left lateral interior surface of the ascending aorta of the patient. The distal shaft also includes a preformed ostium entry section extending from the support section. In one implementation, the ostium entry section transitions from the support segment abutting the aortic wall to a distal tip end by way of at least two differently directed angles.

The implantable heart valve can have an inverted configuration and can include a support structure and at least two valve leaflets. Preferably, when the valve is placed in proximity with an aortic valve implantation site of a subject and engaged with the implantation site, the valve leaflets are configured to deflect towards the aortic wall into a first position for resisting the flow of blood towards the left ventricle and configured to deflect away from a aortic wall into a second position for allowing the flow of blood from a left ventricle, with the support structure configured to remain static during leaflet deflection.

A method for automatically analyzing an aortic aneurysm includes providing a digitized 3-dimensional image volume of an aorta, determining which voxels in said image are likely to be lumen voxels, determining a distance of said lumen voxels from an aortic boundary, finding a centerline of the aorta in said image volume based on said lumen voxel distances, constructing a series of 2-dimensional multiplanar reformatted (MFR) image planes orthogonal to this centerline, segmenting aortic cross sections in each said MPR image plane wherein an aortic wall is located in each MPR image, and constructing from said aortic wall locations a 3D model of the aorta.

An embolic protection device including a porous deflector screen including a filter, arranged to expand and to conform to a wall of the aortic arch covering entrances to arteries branching from an aorta, an emboli collector including a cylinder arranged to expand and to lie along walls of a descending aorta, pushing against walls of the descending aorta and anchoring the porous deflector screen, and a connecting portion for connecting the porous deflector screen and the emboli collector, arranged to push the porous deflector screen against a wall of the aortic arch while anchoring against the emboli collector. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

A method and system for assessment of virtual stent implantation in an aortic aneurysm is disclosed. A patient-specific 4D anatomical model of the aorta is generated from the 4D medical imaging data. A model representing mechanical properties of the aorta wall is adjusted to reflect changes due to aneurysm growth at a plurality of time stages. A stable deformation configuration of the aorta is generated for each time stages by performing fluid structure interaction (FSI) simulations using the patient-specific 4D anatomical model at each time stage based on the adjusted model representing the mechanical properties of the aorta wall at each time stage. Virtual stent implantation is performed for each stable deformation configuration of the aorta and FSI simulations are performed for each virtual stent implantation.