Methods and apparatus for flow restoration

摘要

Methods for restoring blood flow in occluded blood vessels using an apparatus having a self-expandable distal segment that is pre-formed to assume a superimposed structure in an unconstrained condition but can be made to take on a volume-reduced form making it possible to introduce it with a microcatheter and a push wire arranged at the proximal end, with the distal segment in its superimposed structure assuming the form of a longitudinally open tube and having a mesh structure of interconnected strings or filaments or struts. In a preferred embodiment, the distal segment has a tapering structure at its proximal end where the strings or filaments or struts converge at a connection point.

主权项

1. A method for mobilizing a thrombus in a cerebral blood vessel, comprising:
(a) delivering a thrombus-removal apparatus through a microcatheter to the cerebral blood vessel, the apparatus comprising a self-expandable tubular structure having a proximal end, a distal end, and a plurality of cells, the structure being configured to assume an expanded configuration at a site of the thrombus, and to be in a compressed configuration for delivery through the microcatheter, the compressed configuration having a smaller maximum cross-sectional dimension than the expanded configuration, the structure being configured to expand into the thrombus when transitioning from the compressed configuration to the expanded configuration; (b) positioning the structure in the cerebral blood vessel such that the distal end is downstream of the thrombus, and the proximal end is upstream of the thrombus; and (c) with the structure positioned as in (b), proximally withdrawing the microcatheter from over the structure such that the structure transitions to the expanded configuration and at least an outer portion of the structure engages and applies an outward radial force on the thrombus, whereby the structure interlocks with at least a portion of the thrombus, the portion of the thrombus extending both inside of the structure and outside of the structure; and (d) retracting the apparatus, with the portion of the thrombus, toward a catheter while the portion of the thrombus extends both inside of the structure and outside of the structure.