Patent ID: 8048139

Claim:
A reversible applicator, for an intraluminal endoprosthesis at least partially disposed within the reversible applicator, comprising: an outer sheath having a distal end and a proximal end; a pusher, the outer sheath sliding longitudinally relative to the pusher; a retention element having a proximal portion and a distal portion and being disposed at least partially and longitudinally within an intraluminal endoprosthesis, the retention element comprising an expandable braid and integrally joined to the pusher, wherein, when the intraluminal endoprosthesis begins to deploy from the outer sheath the distal portion of the retention element also deploys from the outer sheath, thereby forming a bulb with a portion of the retention element, the bulb disposed within the intraluminal endoprosthesis causing a portion of the intraluminal endoprosthesis to be pinched between said bulb and an inner wall of the distal end of the outer sheath such that the intraluminal endoprosthesis is capable of being retracted inside the outer sheath as long a portion of the endoprosthesis remains disposed within the distal end of the outer sheath.