APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR VARIABLY CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE DELIVERY FROM IMPLANTED PROSTHESES

摘要

The present invention provides improved stents and other prostheses for delivering substances to vascular and other luminal and intracorporeal environments. In particular, the present invention provides luminal prostheses 13 which allow for programmed and controlled substance delivery protocols for a variety of purposes. The prostheses 13 comprised a scaffold which is implanted within the body lumen and a substance reservoir present over at least a portion of the scaffold. Usually, a rate-controlling element will be formed over the substance-containing reservoir to provide for a number of different substance release characteristics.