Patent ID: 7905913
Filing Date: 2011-03-15
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for treating a body lumen comprising: a flexible catheter shaft having proximal and distal ends; an expandable member attached to the catheter shaft near the distal end, the expandable member being expandable to an expanded configuration having an expanded length; and a radially-expandable tubular prosthesis comprising a plurality of discrete stents, the prosthesis releasably coupled to the catheter shaft, a deployed portion of the prosthesis being expandable to a deployed configuration having a deployed length; wherein the expanded length and the deployed length are each selectively changeable from the proximal end of the catheter shaft, and wherein the deployed length of the prosthesis comprises two or more discrete stents radially expandable at the same time while at least one stent remains unexpanded and coupled to the catheter shaft, and wherein the expanded length is expanded while a portion of the expandable member remains unexpanded.