Method of implanting a stent within a tubular organ of a living body and of removing same

Claim 1

A method of implanting a stent within a tubular organ of a living body and removing the stent from the tubular organ, which comprises the steps of: mounting a cylindrical shaped stent made of a two-shape memory allow on a distal end portion of a catheter tube having at least one hole in said end portion, said stent being capable of expanding or shrinking in the radial direction thereof if accordance with changes in temperature; introducing a cooling liquid into said distal end portion of the catheter tube thereby to discharge the cooling liquid through said hole, and to shrink the stent so as to bringing the stent in contact with the outer wall of said distal end portion of the catheter tube; introducing said distal end portion of the catheter tube into a desired portion of said tubular organ through a guide catheter introduced in advance, while keeping the cooling liquid flowing out of said hole; discontinuing the supply of the cooling liquid thereby warming the stent through a heat from the living body thereby expanding the stent so as to bringing the stent in contact with the inner wall of the tubular organ; withdrawing the distal end portion of the catheter tube from the tubular organ, leaving the stent as it is thereby implanting the stent at said desired portion of said tubular organ; introducing said distal end portion of the catheter tube into the stent implanted in said desired portion of said tubular organ; introducing a cooling liquid into said distal end portion of the catheter tube thereby to discharge the cooling liquid through said hole, and to shrink the stent so as to bring the stent in contact with the outer wall of said distal end portion of the catheter tube; and withdrawing the distal end portion of the catheter tube from the tubular organ with the stent being mounted on the distal end portion of the catheter tube, thereby removing the stent from the tubular organ.

Claim 2

A method of implanting a stent within a tubular organ of a living body and removing the stent from the tubular organ, which comprises the steps of: mounting a cylindrical shaped stent made of a two-shape memory allow on a distal end portion of a catheter tube having at least one hole in said end portion, said stent being capable of expanding or shrinking in the radial direction thereof if accordance with changes in temperature; introducing a cooling liquid into said distal end portion of the catheter tube thereby to discharge the cooling liquid through said hole, and to shrink the stent so as to bringing the stent in contact with the outer wall of said distal end portion of the catheter tube; introducing said distal end portion of the catheter tube into a desired portion of said tubular organ through a guide catheter introduced in advance, while keeping the cooling liquid flowing out of said hole; discontinuing the supply of the cooling liquid thereby warming the stent through a heat from the living body thereby expanding the stent so as to bringing the stent in contact with the inner wall of the tubular organ; withdrawing the distal end portion of the catheter tube from the tubular organ, leaving the stent as it is thereby implanting the stent at said desired portion of said tubular organ; introducing said distal end portion of the catheter tube into the stent implanted in said desired portion of said tubular organ; introducing a cooling liquid into said distal end portion of the catheter tube thereby to discharge the cooling liquid through said hole, and to shrink the stent so as to bring the stent in contact with the outer wall of said distal end portion of the catheter tube; and withdrawing the distal end portion of the catheter tube from the tubular organ with the stent being mounted on the distal end portion of the catheter tube, thereby removing the stent from the tubular organ.