PERCUTANEOUS STENT AND METHOD FOR RETRIEVAL THEREOF

摘要

A self-expanding stent formed of stainless steel wirearranged in a closed zig-zag configuration includes anendless series of straight sections joined at their ends bybends. The stent is compressible into a reduced diametersize for insertion into and removal from a body passageway.The bends of at least one end of the stent are formed intoeyes for connection with the eyes at one end of a similarlyconstructed stent to permit single-step introduction ofseveral lengths of stent into the passageway. A stent caninclude a monofilament thread passing through successiveeyes at one end of the stent, the thread passing througheach eye at least once and through some of the eyes a secondtime. The trailing ends of the thread extend from the stentand outside the body passageway. The scent can be retrievedfrom the body passageway by threading a tube of the freeends of the thread until the tube is adjacent the stent.The diameter at one end of the stent is reduced by pullingthe free ends of the thread through the tube. A sheathconcentrically disposed over the tube is introduced into thebody passageway and over the remaining length of the stentto further compress the stent for removal from thepassageway.