Patent ID: 7387639

Claim:
A method for placing a stent having a side hole into a main vessel such that the side hole is aligned with an ostium of a branch vessel that extends from the main vessel, the method comprising: providing a delivery catheter that comprises a catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end, and a guidewire lumen extending from the distal end to at least part way between the proximal end and the distal end; a balloon disposed over the catheter body near the distal end; a stent positioned over the balloon, the stent having a proximal end, a distal end, and a side opening between the proximal end and the distal end; and a side sheath coupled to the catheter body, the side sheath having a proximal end, a distal end, and a guidewire lumen extending between the proximal end and the distal end, wherein the proximal end of the side sheath is located between the proximal end of the catheter body and the balloon, and wherein the side sheath exits out of the side opening of the stent; introducing a first guiding apparatus into the main vessel until a distal end of the first guiding apparatus passes into only one vessel; advancing the catheter over only the first guiding apparatus such that the first guiding apparatus passes through at least a portion of the delivery catheter, until the catheter is in the region of the ostium; advancing a second guiding apparatus through at least a portion of the delivery catheter so as to provide a guiding apparatus in each vessel; advancing the catheter over the first guiding apparatus and the second guiding apparatus until the side sheath is within the branch vessel and the side opening of the stent is aligned with an ostium of the branch vessel; and inflating the balloon to deploy the stent.