Patent ID: 6436133
Filing Date: 2002-08-20
Classification: A61F,A61L

Abstract:
An expandable intraluminal graft for use within in a body passageway, duct, blood vessel or other cavity comprising:a plurality of substantially tubular shaped members and at least one connector connecting at least two tubular shaped members, each of said tubular shaped members having first and second ends and a wall surface disposed between the first and second ends, the wall surface of each tubular shaped member being formed by a plurality of intersecting elongated members, at least some of the elongated members intersecting. with one another intermediate the first and second ends of the tubular shaped members, said plurality of intersecting elongated members forming a plurality of openings in said wall surface; each of said tubular shaped members having a first diameter which permits intraluminal delivery of the tubular shaped members into a body passageway, duct, blood vessel or other cavity, and a second expanded diameter which second diameter is variable, each of said tubular shaped members having substantially the same longitudinal length when said members are in their first diameter and in their said second diameter, at least two of said openings in said wall surface of each of said tubular shaped members having a parallelogram shape when said members are in their first diameter; said connector allowing transverse bending flexibility invariant to the plane of bending of said graft, at least one of said connectors being substantially â€œUâ€  shaped.