Patent ID: 9597204
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. Apparatus comprising an endovascular stent-graft, which (a) is configured to assume a radially-compressed delivery configuration and a radially-expanded deployment configuration, and (b) comprises a generally tubular hourglass-shaped body, which comprises: a flexible stent member, which comprises a plurality of structural stent elements; and a tubular fluid flow guide, which comprises a fabric, and is attached to the structural stent elements, wherein, when the stent-graft is in the radially-expanded deployment configuration, the hourglass-shaped body is shaped so as to define a narrow waist portion longitudinally surrounded by and adjacent to wider first and second longitudinal portions of the hourglass-shaped body, wherein the fabric along the narrow waist portion is shaped so as to define at least first and second lateral apertures, and wherein the stent-graft, including the hourglass-shaped body, including the narrow waist portion, is configured to assume an intermediate deployment configuration, in which (a) the hourglass-shaped body is shaped so as to define the narrow waist portion surrounded by and adjacent to the wider first and second longitudinal portions, and (b) an average diameter of the narrow waist portion is at least 10% less than when the stent-graft, including the hourglass-shaped body, including the narrow waist portion, is in the radially-expanded deployment configuration.