the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is merely illustrative in nature , and as such it does not limit in any way the present invention , its application , or uses . numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . referring to fig1 a perspective view of a stent according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 10 . the stent 10 may be used to reinforce diseased areas of a blood vessel , such as aneurysms , and for opening narrowed blood vessels to increase blood flow . the stent 10 is preferably formed from a single length of nickel - titanium alloy wire , which is available under the name of nitinol , or from any other suitable resilient material . the nitinol wire preferably has an austenitic phase transformation substantially below 37 ° c ., as is shown at reference numeral 11 in fig1 a , thus giving the stent a relaxed resilient state at body temperature . the phase transformation behavior illustrated in fig1 a is inherent to the nitinol material , and can be used for &# 34 ; shape memory &# 34 ; material applications . the present stent requires no shape memory attributes , and preferably remains in the resilient , or &# 34 ; super - elastic &# 34 ; phase . preferably , the nitinol wire is wound around a piece of threaded titanium in a helical configuration and heat - treated to form the stent in a relaxed state helical configuration as shown in fig1 . further , all or part of the wire material may be coated or covered with a radiopaque material , such as a platinum coating or very small platinum coil . this radiopaque material allows visualization of the stent while in the body of the patient , during insertion and after placement of the stent at the vessel site . the stent 10 preferably has a deployed diameter of approximately 0 . 039 - 0 . 393 inches , and has a deployment length of approximately 0 . 125 - 2 . 00 inches . however , the stent diameter and length may vary in size depending upon the particular application and the size of the blood vessel in which the stent is to be inserted . as shown in fig1 b and 1c , the stent may have a substantially flat cross - section as shown at 10a , or a semi - circular or &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; shaped cross - section as shown at 10b , or any other cross - section as dictated by a particular application or anatomy . the stent 10 of the present invention includes a proximal end 12 defining a stent passageway opening 14 . the stent proximal end 12 may include a beaded tip 16 that provides a point at which a stent delivery device , such as the pusher mechanism shown at 18 in fig3 may be attached or engaged with the stent , to advance the stent through the vessel to the diseased vessel site . the pusher mechanism 18 may be capable of selective engagement with the stent proximal bead 16 , so that the pusher mechanism 18 can selectively release the stent at whatever location is desired . as a result , the stent can be more precisely placed before being released by the pusher mechanism 18 , or may even be retracted back into the catheter if the stent is the wrong size or is positioned improperly . the stent also includes a body portion 20 extending from the proximal end in a helical configuration . the body portion 20 defines a stent lumen 22 that allows passage of blood or other bodily fluids . preferably , the helical configuration of the body portion has a characteristic pitch of approximately 0 . 003 - 0 . 250 inches , with the term &# 34 ; pitch &# 34 ; being defined as the center to center axial distance between adjacent coils in the helical configuration . the stent also includes a distal end 24 which terminates the body portion 20 and which defines a second lumen opening 26 for the stent lumen 22 . the distal end terminates at a distal tip 28 , which may preferably have a bead to be atraumatic to the blood vessel into which the stent is inserted . referring to fig2 an enlarged section of a stent according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 30 . the resilient wire of the stent is sealed between two sheets or strips of film or mesh 32 and 34 , defining a first and second flap extending outward from the wire . the outer strip of film 32 may be a thrombogenic film to aid in securing the stent to the wall of the vessel in which the stent is implemented . in contrast , the inner strip of film 34 is preferably a non - thrombogenic film material to prevent thrombus within the stent lumen , so as not to inhibit blood flow . as shown in fig2 a , after the stent exits the microcatheter , it forms a helical configuration with the edges of the attached films 32 and 34 overlapping , to form a tubular structure 38 . the thrombogenic side of the film 32 is on the outside of the tubular structure 38 , and the non - thrombogenic side of the film 34 is on the inside of the tubular structure 38 . referring to fig3 and 4 , the stent 10 is shown after being inserted into a microcatheter 40 for deployment in a weakened or occluded area of a vessel 42 , such as a neck 43 of an aneurysm shown at 44 . the stent 10 is pushed through the microcatheter 40 by an operator manipulating the delivery device or pusher mechanism 18 . the microcatheter 40 is of a type well known in the art and has a diameter smaller than that of the stent in its deployed configuration . for example , for a stent having a non - deployed or stretched linear wire diameter of 0 . 016 inches , the microcatheter used to deploy the stent would preferably have an inside diameter of about 0 . 020 inches , while the deployed diameter of the coiled stent could be much larger , perhaps as much as 0 . 393 inches . the microcatheter 40 delivers the stent in a substantially linear configuration while being delivered through the microcatheter , and releases the stent to its substantially helical configuration upon exiting the microcatheter 40 . in the initial linear configuration , the stent can be delivered to a vessel location through a catheter having a diameter significantly smaller than that of the relaxed , deployed stent . the stent of the present invention thereby minimizes the diameter of the catheter in the vessel , and thereby facilitates deployment of a stent in small diameter vessels not currently treatable with tubular or cylindrical stents having the same deployed diameter . as shown in fig4 after being deployed in the vessel area , the stent returns to its relaxed helical configuration , thereby expanding to its normal diameter and tending to retain itself in position within the smaller diameter blood vessel 42 . further , as shown in fig4 a balloon 50 of the type associated with conventional balloon microcatheters may also be utilized to aid in expanding or &# 34 ; tacking &# 34 ; the stent of the present invention . referring now to fig5 a double helix stent according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 60 . the counter helix stent 60 includes two individual lengths of resilient wire 62 and 64 , having the same qualities as the stent 10 . the wires 62 and 64 may have identical or differing diameters , according to specific design parameters . alternatively , the stent 60 may be formed in a double helix configuration through use of a single length of wire or coil formed on a properly designed mandrel ( not shown ) having both right and left hand threads , by heat - treating a single length of resilient material to give the material a double helical configuration similar to that shown in fig5 . further , the left and right threads forming the double helix may interlock by alternating inner and outer positions . of course , a similar construction may be obtained by joining or welding the proximal or distal ends of the wires 62 and 64 of counter - helical stent 60 . the first resilient wire 62 is wound in a right - hand threaded direction , while the second resilient wire 64 is wound in a left - hand threaded direction . each wire thus provides support for the other to resist collapse of the stent 60 in both radial and axial directions , upon the application of external forces , especially if the wires alternate inner and outer positions to interlock the structure . the stent 60 may preferably include two distal beads 66 and 68 at its distal end 70 , to be atraumatic to the vessel . in addition , both tips of the proximal end 72 may preferably be joined together at 74 to provide a point at which the stent can be advanced through a microcatheter using a pusher or a detachable pusher mechanism , such as that shown at 18 in fig3 . referring now to fig6 a stent system according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 80 , in which the stent is further provided with a sleeve , covering or sheath . such a sleeve is intended to more effectively treat and seal a particular vascular defect . the stent 80 may be of a counter helix configuration similar to that of stent 60 shown in fig5 . stent 80 in fig6 also includes elastic sleeve 82 within the two stents 84 and 86 . the sleeve 82 may provide additional stent support for better occlusion of the neck 43 of aneurysm 44 shown in fig4 . preferably , the sleeve 82 is attached between the two stents 84 and 86 , in other words , inside stent 84 and outside stent 86 . thus , the stent system can still be collapsed to a substantially linear configuration when inserted into a catheter during placement and deployment of the stent . alternatively , the sleeve 82 may be attached within , or outside , both stents 84 and 86 . fig7 - 10 illustrate the deployment of the stent of the present invention , with particular reference to the counter - helix stent 60 in fig5 . however , it should be understood that delivery and deployment of stents according to all of the preferred embodiments of the present invention are similar . referring first to fig7 the stent 60 is inserted into the microcathater 40 , and assumes a substantially deformed or stretched linear configuration as shown generally at 90 . the microcatheter is then moved into close proximity to the vascular defect , in this case the neck 43 of an aneurysm 44 . after being placed near the aneurysm 44 , the stent 60 is pushed out of the distal end of the microcatheter by the pusher 92 , and the microcatheter is withdrawn slightly in the proximal direction , as shown at 94 in fig8 . the stent 60 resiliently assumes its relaxed counter - helix configuration as shown at 94 , while the portion of the stent 60 remaining within the microcatheter is held in a generally linear configuration as shown at 90 . referring to fig9 once the stent is completely pushed out of the microcatheter 40 , the entire stent reassumes its relaxed helical configuration . the stent 60 in its relaxed configuration has an associated diameter that tends to be somewhat greater than the diameter of the vessel 42 , causing the stent 60 to gently press outward against the wall of the vessel 42 . therefore , the stent 60 tends to hold itself in place at the desired location across the vascular defect , such as the aneurysm 44 . however , as shown in fig1 , if it is determined that the stent has been incorrectly positioned , the stent may be withdrawn back into the catheter , as indicated at 100 , thus becoming stretched again to a substantially linear configuration with an associated smaller diameter . once the stent has been withdrawn into the microcatheter , the microcatheter may be repositioned within the blood vessel to thereby effectively reposition the stent properly in the desired position . as depicted in fig1 , a vascular defect such as aneurysm 118 may develop at a location where one vessel branches off from another , referred to as a vessel &# 34 ; bifurcation ,&# 34 ; such as that shown generally at 116 . a stent system for treating this type of vascular defect near a bifurcation is shown generally at 110 , according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention . the stent system 110 consists essentially of two individual wire stents 112 and 114 , each being similar in structure and function to the stent 10 shown in fig1 . wire stents 112 and 114 may be arranged in parallel helixes as shown in fig1 , or more preferably wound in opposite directions in a counter - helix similar to that shown in fig5 - 10 . the stents 112 and 114 are delivered serially through a microcatheter to treat aneurysm 118 . the stent 114 is placed in interlocking contact across the stent 112 , with the proximal portions of stents 112 and 114 joining generally at 120 . the stent helical windings interlock in a parallel or counter helix configuration before the vessel bifurcation , similar in structure to that of the counter helix stent 60 shown in fig5 . the stent system 110 thereby forms the desired lumens , and adds structural integrity to the vessels at the bifurcation aneurysm , that would not otherwise be possible with a single stent . moreover , it is desirable to fill the bifurcation aneurysm 118 with embolic agents , such as embolic coils 122 , to embolize the aneurysm and reduce the pressure inside . only a few embolic coils 122 are illustrated in fig1 for the sake of clarity , though the aneurysm would preferably be filled with a sufficient number of embolic coils 122 to successfully embolize the aneurysm . depending on the particular anatomy of a patient , the number of embolic coils 122 that might be required may vary from one to many . it is also important to prevent the embolic agent or coils from escaping the aneurysm , which might cause embolization in an undesirable location . the stent system 110 of the present invention forms a shelf near the neck 116 of the bifurcation aneurysm 118 , on which the embolic devices can rest . this important feature of the present invention thus enables the successful treatment of a bifurcation aneurysm . from the foregoing description , it should be appreciated that according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention the stent is collapsible to a compressed , substantially linear configuration for delivery and deployment in a tissue vessel . the positioning and deploymerlt of the stent of the present invention thereby may be performed with a lower level of associated trauma to the vessel , and can be realized in vessels having a significantly smaller diameter than has been possible before with conventional stents . the stent of the present invention may be configured in a counter helix configuration , a configuration having a mesh cover , or in a bifurcated configuration to adapt the stent to particular application needs , while maintaining the collapsibility and deployability characteristics associated with the resilient material from which it is configured . it should be understood that an unlimited number of configurations for the present invention can be realized . the foregoing discussion describes merely exemplary embodiments illustrating the principles of the present invention , the scope of which is recited in the following claims . those skilled in the art will readily recognize from the description , claims , and drawings that numerous changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
a vascular stent for opening blood vessel occlusions and for providing support to damaged areas of blood vessel sites includes a proximal end defining a first lumen opening . the helical stent is constructed from a resilient material and has a body portion extending from the proximal end to define a lumen . a distal end defines a second lumen opening a predetermined axial distance from the first lumen opening . the stent is maintained in a stretched linear state when in a catheter for delivery to a vascular site , and resiliently expands into a relaxed helilcal shape when released from the catheter . various embodiments of the present invention are disclosed , including a stent made of a wire having a flattened cross - section , a helical wire stent having a flat ribbon to span between adjacent loops of wire , multiple intertwined stents in the same blood vessel . a preferred embodiment of the present invention involves treating an aneurysm formed at a vessel branching by arranging multiple helical wire stents in each vessel .