Claims
- 1. An intracorporeal space filling system for use in a patient's body, comprising;
an elongate tubular shell having an inner lumen disposed within the shell; and a transmutable material disposed within the inner lumen of the shell that is transmutable from a non-rigid state to a substantially rigid state within the patient's body; and a delivery system having an elongate shaft with a distal end and a proximal end and a detachment mechanism disposed on the distal end of the elongate shaft and a first end of the elongate tubular shell detachably secured to the detachment mechanism; wherein the detachment mechanism comprises a detachable polymer link.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the detachable polymer link is severed in response to the application of heat.
- 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the detachment mechanism comprises a mechanical capture device which has a helical capture element disposed about and capturing an enlarged portion of an elongate longitudinal member which is secured to the space filling device whereby heat activation of the helical capture element causes the element to return to a remembered shape extending in an open outward radial direction releasing the enlarged portion of the elongated longitudinal member and the space filling device.
- 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the detachment mechanism comprises an electrolytically severable member securing the distal end of the delivery system to the first end of the space filling device whereby application of electrical current to the severable member erodes the member and releases the space filling device from the delivery system.
- 5. An intracorporeal space filing system comprising a space filling device having an elongated longitudinal member and a transmutable material disposed about the elongated longitudinal member and being transmutable from a non-rigid state to a substantially rigid state within a patient's body, and a delivery system having an elongate shaft with a distal end and a proximal end and a detachment mechanism disposed on the distal end of the elongate shaft and the first end of the space filling device detachably secured to the detachment mechanism.
- 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the detachment mechanism comprises a degradable polymer link which can be severed by a chain cleavage reaction.
- 7. The device of claim 5, wherein the detachment mechanism comprises a mechanical detachment mechanism.
- 8. A method of occluding an intracorporeal void, comprising:
(a) positioning the distal end of a microcatheter such that a distal port in the distal end is directed to the cavity of the intracorporeal void; (b) distally advancing an intracorporeal space filling device comprising:
an elongate tubular shell which has a first port disposed at a first end and a second port disposed at a second end and an inner lumen disposed within the shell in fluid communication with the first port and second port; and a transmutable material disposed within the inner lumen of the shell that is transmutable from a non-rigid state to a substantially rigid state within the patient's body, (c) deploying the space filling device into the void; (d) transmuting the transmutable material from a non-rigid state to a substantially rigid state; and (e) detaching the space filling device from the delivery system by activation of a detachment mechanism after the space filling device has been positioned with the intracorporeal void.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein detachment is carried out by degradation of a polymer link between the distal end of the delivery system and the first end of the elongated shell.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the degradation of the polymer link comprises a chain cleavage reaction.
- 11. The method of claim 8, wherein detachment is carried out mechanically.
- 12. The method of claim 8, wherein detachment is carried out by activation of a shape memory capture element.
- 13. The method of claim 8, wherein detachment is carried out by electrolytic degradation of an electrolytically degradable element.
- 14. The method of claim 8, further comprising deploying a blocking balloon adjacent the intracorporeal void and the distal end of the microcatheter prior to distally advancing the space filling intracorporeal device into the void.
- 15. A detachment mechanism for detaching an intracorporeal space filling device from a delivery system, comprising:
(a) a degradable polymer link securing the intracorporeal space filling device to the delivery system; and (b) a heating element disposed in thermal contact with the degradable polymer link.
- 16. The detachment mechanism of claim 15, wherein the degradable polymer link is degraded by a chain cleavage reaction.
- 17. The detachment mechanism of claim 15, wherein the heating element is a resistive heating element configured to be heated by electric current passed therethrough.
- 18. A detachment mechanism for detaching an intracorporeal space filling device from a delivery system, comprising:
(a) a tubular braided capture element secured to a distal end of the delivery system having a first inner diameter and a second inner diameter larger than the first inner diameter upon activation of the braided capture element and a distal port in communication with an inner lumen; and (b) an enlarged portion secured to the intracorporeal space filling device having a transverse dimension larger than the first inner diameter of the braided capture element and smaller than the second inner diameter of the braided capture element with the enlarged portion being within and captured by the first inner diameter of the braided tubular capture element.
- 19. The detachment mechanism of claim 18, wherein the tubular braided capture element comprises braided elongated filaments of shape memory material configured to have a remembered shape producing the second inner diameter.
- 20. The detachment mechanism of claim 19, wherein the capture element is configured to be activated from the first inner diameter to the remembered second inner diameter by the application of energy to the capture element which raises the temperature of the elongated shape memory filaments sufficiently to cause activation to the remembered shape.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/324,987 filed Jun. 2, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09324987 |
Jun 1999 |
US |
Child |
10106511 |
Mar 2002 |
US |