US6334871B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Radiopaque stent markers
Assignee: Medtronic Inc
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Filing: 1996-09-03
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Granted: 2002-01-01
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Expires: 2016-09-03
Abstract
Abstract Stents which are inserted into a body lumen preferably are made of materials which are not radiopaque enough, such as stainless steel 316L. X-ray visualization of a stent enables an accurate positioning of the stent and also a follow-up of its functioning within the patient's body. The radiopaque markers described here are rivets made of a material which is more radiopaque than the stent substance so the location of the stent can be identified. Preferably the stents are heat treated so that atoms from the stent material migrate into the marker material and vice versa.
Inventors
- 👤 Ofer Dor
- 👤 Amir Loshakove
- 👤 Oren Globerman
- 👤 Mordechay Beyar
- 👤 Rafael Beyar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 11:25
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/82; A61F2/86; A61F2/90; A61F2/91; A61F2/915; A61B; A61B90/00; A61B90/39; A61F2002/9155; A61F2002/91583; A61F2230/00; A61F2230/0002; A61F2230/0004; A61F2230/0013; A61F2240/00; A61F2240/001; A61F2250/00; A61F2250/0058; A61F2250/0096; A61F2250/0098
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
137 words
A method for increasing the radiopacity of an implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity, which comprises the steps of (a) forming openings in at least the distal edges or ends of the device, (b) inserting a different marker material with greater radiopacity than the rest of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, into said openings to form a rivet in each opening, and (c) heating the device from step (b) for a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to cause atoms from the device to migrate into the marker material and atoms from the marker material to migrate into the device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
137 words
A method for increasing the radiopacity of an implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity, which comprises the steps of (a) forming openings in at least the distal edges or ends of the device, (b) inserting a different marker material with greater radiopacity than the rest of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, into said openings to form a rivet in each opening, and (c) heating the device from step (b) for a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to cause atoms from the device to migrate into the marker material and atoms from the marker material to migrate into the device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating in step (c) is under vacuum.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein the heating is at from about 10 −4 to 10 −6 torr.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating in step (c) is from about 700° C. to 1200° C. and for from about 1 minute to 2 hours.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
114 words
An implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity, with increased radiopacity, which comprises openings formed in at least the distal edges or ends of the device and a different marker material with greater radiopacity than the rest of the device of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, compressed into said openings to form a rivet in each opening, wherein atoms from the device have migrated into the marker material and atoms from the marker material have migrated into the device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
114 words
An implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity, with increased radiopacity, which comprises openings formed in at least the distal edges or ends of the device and a different marker material with greater radiopacity than the rest of the device of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, compressed into said openings to form a rivet in each opening, wherein atoms from the device have migrated into the marker material and atoms from the marker material have migrated into the device.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The device of claim 5 , wherein the atoms have migrated from 10 to 1000 Å.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
10 words
The device of claim 5 , which is a stent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 5 , wherein there are at least two openings with a rivet in each opening.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The device of claim 5 , wherein each opening is round and the rivet in each opening does not protrude from the outer surface of the stent.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 5 , wherein the respective edges of the opening are beveled.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
The device of claim 5 further comprising a composite cover layer on the surface of the rivet, the composite cover layer comprising atoms from the device and atoms from the marker material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
62 words
In an implantable medical device, the improvement wherein the ends or edges of the device have openings and the openings contain markers comprised of material more radiopaque than the material of the device, wherein the devices have been heat treated so that atoms from the device migrate into the marker material and atoms from the marker material migrate into the device material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
62 words
In an implantable medical device, the improvement wherein the ends or edges of the device have openings and the openings contain markers comprised of material more radiopaque than the material of the device, wherein the devices have been heat treated so that atoms from the device migrate into the marker material and atoms from the marker material migrate into the device material.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
133 words
A product prepared according to a process comprising the steps of: a) forming an implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity; b) forming openings in at least the distal edges or ends of the device; c) inserting a different marker material with greater radiopacity then the rest of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, into said openings to form a rivet in each opening; and d) heating the device from step c) for a sufficient time to cause atoms from the device to migrate into the marker material and atoms from the marker material to migrate into the device.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
133 words
A product prepared according to a process comprising the steps of: a) forming an implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity; b) forming openings in at least the distal edges or ends of the device; c) inserting a different marker material with greater radiopacity then the rest of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, into said openings to form a rivet in each opening; and d) heating the device from step c) for a sufficient time to cause atoms from the device to migrate into the marker material and atoms from the marker material to migrate into the device.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for increasing the radiopacity of an implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity, which comprises the steps of (a) forming openings in at least the distal edges or ends of the device, (b) inserting a different marker material with greater radiopacity than the rest of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, into said openings to form a rivet in each opening, and (c) heating the device under vacuum from about 700° C. to 1200° C. and for from about 1 minute to 2 hours.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for increasing the radiopacity of an implantable medical device produced from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel 316L, nitinol, a cobalt-chromium alloy, and other materials of similar radiopacity, which comprises the steps of (a) forming openings in at least the distal edges or ends of the device, (b) inserting a different marker material with greater radiopacity than the rest of the device selected from the group comprising gold, gold alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys and other materials of similar radiopacity, into said openings to form a rivet in each opening, and (c) heating the device under vacuum from about 700° C. to 1200° C. and for from about 1 minute to 2 hours.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the heating is at from about 10 −4 to 10 −6 torr.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the heating is from about 1050° C. to 1100° C.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 14 wherein the heating is for from about 2 minutes to about 30 minutes.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-12-31 | 2005-07-02 | 2006-01-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-12-31 | 2009-07-02 | 2010-01-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-12-31 | 2013-07-02 | 2014-01-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |