RADIALLY EXPANDABLE DEVICE

摘要

An expandable device is provided that includes a plurality of elongated members that are positioned and arranged to define a lattice structure having crossing points (or nodes) along interior positions of the elongated members. Preferably, the lattice structure is a hyperboloid of revolution. The device includes a plurality of flexible interconnectors located at the crossing points for securing one elongated member to another. The device is radially compressible and expandable. The device may include flexible joiner elements at that join at least two elongated members together at their ends to form an apex. The device may be used in a variety of applications including medical applications such as surgical retractors, space creators, endoluminal prosthesis, such as catheters, dilators or stents, mechanisms for expanding stents, controllably catheters, drains or valves and connectors for hollow organs. The device may also be used in building and construction applications such as emergency shelters, housing structural supports, receptacles, masts and cooling tower support structures.