Patent ID: 7892274
Filing Date: 2011-02-22
Classification: A61F,A61M,H01Q

Abstract:
1. A method of treating a lesion in a body lumen between a distal treatment boundary and a proximal treatment boundary, the method comprising: positioning a catheter in the body lumen, the catheter having a catheter body with a longitudinal axis which carries a prosthesis positionable over an expandable member and a sheath positionable over the prosthesis, wherein the prosthesis comprises a plurality of separable prosthetic segments, and wherein the sheath comprises an inwardly extending valve member disposed on an inside surface of a distal portion of the sheath and a distal extremity reinforced so as to resist radial expansion when the expandable member is expanded; moving the catheter though the body lumen until a distal end of the prosthesis is disposed at or distal to the distal treatment boundary; maintaining the position of the catheter body in the body lumen while retracting the sheath relative to the catheter body and fluoroscopically viewing a radiopaque sheath marker on the sheath until the radiopaque sheath marker is disposed within a predetermined distance of the proximal treatment boundary, wherein a deployable portion of the prosthesis, the deployable portion comprising a first plurality of the prosthetic segments, is exposed outside the sheath in an unexpanded condition and a retained portion of the prosthesis remains covered by the sheath and wherein a proximal end of the deployable portion is disposed at or proximal to the proximal treatment boundary; axially separating the unexpanded deployable portion from the retained portion of the prosthesis to create a space between the deployable portion and the retained portion along the longitudinal axis of the catheter body by engaging the retained portion of the prosthesis with the valve member and moving the retained portion away from the unexpanded deployable portion; and radially expanding the entire deployable portion of the prosthesis as a single portion while the retained portion remains covered by the sheath, wherein the expanded deployable portion extends from the proximal treatment boundary to the distal treatment boundary.