Methods and systems for placement of a stent adjacent an ostium

1. A method for delivering a stent to a side branch vessel adjacent to an ostium in a main branch vessel, said method comprising:

advancing a distal end of a catheter through a lumen of the side branch vessel and into a lumen of the main branch vessel until an expandable stent carried on the catheter proximal to the distal end of the catheter is located in the lumen of the side branch vessel adjacent the ostium;

expanding, to an expanded state, an anchor on the distal end of the catheter while the anchor is substantially located in the main vessel lumen;

pulling the catheter proximally to seat the expanded anchor in the ostium so that a portion of the expanded anchor seats in the ostium and extends through the ostium and expands a distal end of the stent within the lumen of the side branch vessel adjacent the ostium; and

expanding the stent carried on a portion of the catheter proximal to the expanded anchor so that the expanded stent is positioned in the branch vessel adjacent to the ostium.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the vessels are in the venous vasculature.

3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the stent is expanded in an iliac vein and the ostium is in the inferior vena cava.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein expanding the anchor comprises inflating a balloon.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein expanding the stent comprises inflating a balloon which carries the stent along at least a portion thereof.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein expanding the stent comprises releasing the stent from constraint so that it resiliently expands.

7. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising rotationally orienting the stent within the side branch vessel to align a beveled end of the stent with the ostium prior to expansion of the stent.

8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the step of expanding the stent is performed while the anchor is in the expanded state.

9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the expanded stent does not extend past the ostium.

10. A method for delivering a stent to a side branch vessel adjacent to an ostium in a main branch vessel, said method comprising:

advancing a distal end of a catheter through a lumen of the side branch vessel and into a lumen of the main branch vessel until an expandable stent carried on the catheter proximal to the distal end of the catheter is located in the lumen of the side branch vessel adjacent the ostium;

expanding, to a greater expanded state, an anchor on the distal end of the catheter while the anchor is substantially located in the main vessel lumen;

pulling the catheter proximally to seat the expanded anchor in the ostium;

partially shrinking the anchor to a lesser expanded state;

pulling the catheter further proximally to locate the anchor in its lesser expanded state to a position within the stent: and

partially expanding the anchor within the stent from the lesser expanded state, thereby expanding the stent carried proximal to the distal end of the catheter so that the expanded stent is tacked to a side wall of the branch vessel adjacent to the ostium and so that a distal end of the stent is expanded within the lumen of the side branch vessel adjacent the ostium.

11. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the vessels are in the venous vasculature.

12. The method as in claim 11 , wherein the stent is expanded in an iliac vein and the ostium is in inferior vena cava.

13. The method as in claim 10 , wherein expanding the anchor comprises inflating a balloon.

14. The method as in claim 10 , further comprising rotationally orienting the stent within side the branch vessel to align a beveled end of the stent with the ostium prior to expansion of the stent.

15. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the expanded stent does not extend past the ostium.