Patent ID: 8920485

Claim:
A stent-graft delivery system comprising: an elongate shaft; a tip capture spindle disposed over the shaft, proximate to a distal end of the shaft, wherein a proximal portion of the tip capture spindle includes a plurality of retainer elements configured to engage a stent of a stent-graft prosthesis and a distal portion of the tip capture spindle includes a continuous helical groove on an outer surface thereof; a distal tip assembly coupled to the distal end of the shaft, wherein a proximally-extending portion of the distal tip assembly proximally extends over the outer surface of the distal portion of the tip capture spindle; a sleeve having a proximal end extending over the retainer elements of the tip capture spindle and a distal end extending over the proximally-extending portion of the distal tip assembly, wherein an inner surface of the sleeve includes a continuous helical groove that aligns with the continuous helical groove on the outer surface of the tip capture spindle to create a continuous helical passageway; a spherical ball extending through an opening formed within the proximally-extending portion of the distal tip assembly, wherein a first half of the ball is housed within the helical groove of the sleeve and a second half of the ball is housed within the helical groove of the tip capture spindle; wherein rotation of the elongate shaft rotates the distal tip assembly, thereby spinning the ball within the continuous helical passageway and resulting in longitudinal movement of the tip capture spindle and the sleeve.