US 12,446,907 B2
Methods and apparatus for flow restoration
Earl Howard Slee, Laguna Niguel, CA (US); Thomas Wilder, III, Newport Bearch, CA (US); Thomas McCarthy, San Clemente, CA (US); Mark Philip Ashby, Laguna Niguel, CA (US); and Sanjay Shrivastava, Irvine, CA (US)
Assigned to Covidien LP, Mansfield, MA (US)
Filed by Covidien LP, Mansfield, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/056,192.
Application 18/056,192 is a continuation of application No. 16/531,920, filed on Aug. 5, 2019, granted, now 11,529,156.
Application 16/531,920 is a continuation of application No. 14/885,826, filed on Oct. 16, 2015, granted, now 10,456,151, issued on Oct. 29, 2019.
Application 14/885,826 is a continuation of application No. 14/136,252, filed on Dec. 20, 2013, granted, now 9,161,766, issued on Oct. 20, 2015.
Application 14/136,252 is a continuation of application No. 13/678,464, filed on Nov. 15, 2012, granted, now 8,679,142, issued on Mar. 25, 2014.
Application 13/678,464 is a continuation of application No. 12/918,795, granted, now 8,940,003, issued on Jan. 27, 2015, previously published as PCT/US2009/034774, filed on Feb. 20, 2009.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/030,838, filed on Feb. 22, 2008.
Prior Publication US 2023/0079665 A1, Mar. 16, 2023
Prior Publication US 2023/0338048 A9, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. A61B 17/221 (2006.01); A61B 17/22 (2006.01); A61F 2/90 (2013.01); A61F 2/91 (2013.01); A61F 2/92 (2013.01)
CPC A61B 17/221 (2013.01) [A61B 17/22 (2013.01); A61F 2/90 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22034 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22094 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2215 (2013.01); A61F 2/91 (2013.01); A61F 2/92 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for imaging dislodging a thrombus lodged in a blood vessel comprising:
(a) acquiring an image of a self-expandable apparatus placed radially adjacent to a thrombus while in a volume-reduced form in which a first radiopaque marker on a distal end of the apparatus is aligned with a second marker disposed on a distal end portion of a catheter in which the self-expandable apparatus is positioned, wherein the apparatus forms edges that overlap in the volume-reduced form;
(b) acquiring an image of releasing the apparatus from the catheter by withdrawing the catheter proximally until a second radiopaque marker on a proximal end of the apparatus is aligned with the second marker disposed on the distal end portion of the catheter, thereby expanding the apparatus to a volume-enlarged form and engaging at least a portion of the thrombus; and
(c) acquiring an image of moving the apparatus distally or proximally thereby dislodging the thrombus;
wherein the self-expandable apparatus is pre-formed to assume the volume-enlarged form and, in the volume-enlarged form, takes the form of a longitudinally open tube in which the edges overlap less than in the volume-reduced form.