Delivery system and method for vascular prosthesis

1. A method of loading a vascular prosthesis into a delivery system, comprising:

providing a vascular prosthesis comprising an alternating helical section that includes at least three helical portions having alternating directions of rotation, wherein the helical portions are coupled to adjacent helical portions at apices, the apices comprising alternating outer and inner apices, the outer and inner apices extending in different directions;

providing a delivery system including an elongate body, a plurality of retainers and an outer sheath;

coupling the inner apices to the elongate body with the retainers while leaving the outer apices uncoupled from the elongate body;

winding the alternating helical section around elongate body to a contracted state by wrapping at least a plurality of the outer apices around the elongate body; and

advancing the outer sheath over the elongate body to capture the alternating helical section between the elongate body and the outer sheath with the outer apices remaining uncoupled from the elongate body.

2. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 1 , further comprising uncoupling the inner apices from the elongate body.

3. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 2 , wherein coupling the plurality of inner apices to the elongate body comprises extending a retaining wire through a retaining wire lumen defined by the elongate body such that the retaining wire extends through portions of the inner apices of the vascular prosthesis received in recesses of the retainers.

4. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 3 , wherein uncoupling the inner apices from the elongate body comprises removing the retaining wire from the retaining wire lumen of the elongate body.

5. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein the vascular prosthesis further comprises a proximal anchor.

6. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 5 , further comprising contracting the proximal anchor on the elongate body to a contracted state prior to advancing the outer sheath over the elongate body and the vascular prosthesis.

7. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 2 , wherein the uncoupling step is carried out prior to use of the vascular prosthesis with the outer sheath positioned over the elongate body and the vascular prosthesis.

8. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein the winding step comprises at least partially overlapping the outer apices over other portions of the alternating helical section.

9. The method of loading a vascular prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein the winding step comprises rotating the elongate body.

10. A method of loading a vascular prosthesis into a delivery system, comprising:

obtaining a vascular prosthesis comprising an alternating helical section that includes an axially extending series of helical portions having alternating directions of rotation, wherein each helical portion has proximal and distal ends, the proximal and distal ends of adjacent helical portions joined to form inner apices and outer apices, the helical portions having a cross-sectional shape which is flattened in a radial direction;

coupling at least a plurality of the inner apices to an elongate body of a delivery system while leaving the outer apices uncoupled from the elongate body, the elongate body including retainers and the delivery system including an outer sheath, the inner and outer apices extending in different directions;

the coupling step comprising extending a retaining wire through a retaining wire lumen defined by the elongate body such that the retaining wire extends through portions of at least a plurality of the inner apices of the vascular prosthesis received in recesses of the retainers;

winding the alternating helical section around elongate body to a contracted state by rotating at least a plurality of the outer apices around the elongate body;

the winding step comprising at least partially overlapping the outer apices over other portions of the alternating helical section;

advancing the outer sheath over the elongate body to capture the alternating helical section between the elongate body and the outer sheath with the outer apices remaining uncoupled from the elongate body;

uncoupling the inner apices from the elongate body by removing the retaining wire from the retaining wire lumen of the elongate body; and

the uncoupling step being carried out prior to use of the vascular prosthesis with the outer sheath positioned over the elongate body and the vascular prosthesis.