Replacement valve assembly and method of implanting same

摘要

A replacement heart valve assembly (10) includes an intravascular radially expandable stent (14) and a biological valve (18) which is secured to the stent. The stent/valve assembly is positioned onto the inflatable portion (16) of a balloon catheter (20) and percutaneously implanted into a body lumen. The stent is made from a highly malleable material which allows localized plastic deformation and further allows subsequent radial reexpansion of the stent/valve assembly as needed. The biological valve is, for example, a harvested bovine jugular valve which can be adapted for use as a replacement for a malfunctioning human pulmonary valve.