Appeal No. 2002-1403 Page 5
Application No. 09/323,783
expandable intraluminal vascular graft 70 on the expandable, inflatable portion 84 of
catheter 83. The mounting and retaining means 85 comprises retainer ring members
86 disposed on the catheter 83 adjacent the expandable inflatable portion 84 of
catheter 83 and a retainer ring member 86 disposed adjacent each end 72, 73 of the
expandable intraluminal vascular graft 70. The retainer ring member 86 adjacent the
leading tip 87 of catheter 83 slopes upwardly and away from catheter tip 87 in order to
protect and retain graft 70 as it is inserted into the lumen 81 of body passageway 80.
The remaining retainer ring member 86 slopes downwardly away from tip 87 of catheter
83, to insure easy removal of catheter 83 from body passageway 80. After the
expandable intraluminal graft 70 has been disposed upon the catheter 83, the graft 70
and catheter 83 are inserted within a body passageway 80 by catheterization of the
body passageway 80 in a conventional manner.
In a conventional manner, the catheter 83 and graft 70 are delivered to the
desired location within the body passageway 80, whereat it is desired to expand the
lumen 81 of body passageway 80 via intraluminal graft 70. Graft, 70 is then controllably
expanded and deformed by controllably expanding the expandable, inflatable portion 84
of catheter 83, whereby the graft, 70 is expanded and deformed radially, outwardly into
contact with the body passageway 80, as shown in Figure 4. The expandable,
inflatable portion of catheter 83 may be a conventional angioplasty balloon 88. After
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