Claims
- 1. A method for delivering a liquid substance to tissue surrounding a body lumen, said method comprising:
injecting the substance into at least one location into the tissue, wherein the location is proximate a luminal scaffold which is adapted to imbibe the substance and release the imbibed substance back into the tissue over time.
- 2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising implanting the scaffold into the lumen.
- 3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the scaffold is implanted prior to injecting the substance.
- 4. A method as in claim 2, wherein the scaffold is implanted after injecting the substance.
- 5. A method as in claim 2, wherein the scaffold is implanted concurrently with injecting the substance.
- 6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the substance comprises a lipophilic agent selected from the group consisting of antineoplastic agents, antiproliferative agents, immunosuppressive agents, anti-inflammatory agents, macrolide antibiotics, antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antibodies, lipid lowering treatments, gene therapy agents, anti-sense drugs, metalloproteinase inhibitors, growth factor inhibitors, cell cycle inhibitors, angiogenesis drugs, anti-angiogenesis drugs, and radio-opaque contrast media.
- 7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the scaffold comprises an expandable frame component having a surface which is at least partly covered by a liquid absorptive structure.
- 8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the absorptive structure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a hydrophilic polymer, a hydrophobic polymer, a porous ceramic, and a phosphorylcholine.
- 9. A method as in claim 7, wherein the absorptive structure comprises a reservoir covered by a porous membrane.
- 10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the body lumen is a blood vessel.
- 11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the blood vessel is a coronary artery.
- 12. A system for delivering a liquid substance into tissue surrounding a body lumen, said system comprising:
a catheter having an injection needle near a distal end thereof; and a stent having an absorptive structure or reservoir; wherein the catheter may be used to inject liquid substances into tissue surrounding a body lumen and the stent may be implanted into the body lumen to absorb the injected liquid substances as they migrate from the tissue and to release the absorbed liquids back into the tissue over time.
- 13. A stent for use in absorbing substances injected into tissue surrounding a body lumen, said stent comprising:
an expandable frame component; and an absorptive structure disposed over at least a portion of a surface of the expandable component.
- 14. A stent as in claim 13, wherein the absorptive structure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a hydrophilic polymer, a hydrophobic polymer, a porous ceramic, and a phosphorylcholine.
- 15. A stent as in claim 13, wherein the absorptive structure comprises a reservoir covered by a porous membrane.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a non-provisional of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 60/392,819 (Attorney Docket No. 021621-001200), filed Jun. 28, 2002, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60392819 |
Jun 2002 |
US |