Patent ID: 8920484

Claim:
A transluminal delivery system for a self-expanding luminal prosthesis, the system comprising: an inner catheter and a retractable sheath to surround the inner catheter thereby to define an annular space to receive the prosthesis, the inner catheter exhibiting an anti-sliding component for abutting a luminal surface portion of the prosthesis to restrain the prosthesis from sliding with the sheath, and relative to the inner catheter, while the sheath is configured to retract relative to the prosthesis to release the prosthesis progressively into a target bodily lumen, the anti-sliding component comprising: at least one sleeve having a length defined in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the annular space, at least one bound portion of its length that is not free to slide on the inner catheter, and at least one unbound portion of its length with a capability to slide axially on the inner catheter and thereby to swell radially, to deliver an increase in a radial thickness of the sleeve, while the sheath retracts, such that the abluminal surface of the sleeve is able to frictionally engage the luminal surface of the prosthesis, wherein the at least one unbound portion is arranged to crumple into a corrugated form when the prosthesis slides relative to the inner catheter in a direction from the unbound portion towards the bound portion.