Patent Application

App. No. 12/973,854

Abstract

Claims (33)

1 . A device for treating diseased or injured bone, the device having a catheter, wherein the catheter comprises a main body defining at least one interior passage therethrough, an expandable deformable structure, wherein the expandable deformable structure defines an interior space, and a fastener that removably connects the catheter to the expandable deformable structure, wherein the improvement comprises the expandable deformable structure comprised of a metallic material.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the metallic material is composed of a shape memory metallic material or superelastic metallic material.

3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the shape memory metallic material or the superelastic metallic material further comprises a nickel-titanium alloy.

4 . A minimally invasive medical device having a deformable structure expandable from a first reduced geometric state to a second expanded geometric state and having a fillable chamber within the deformable structure, a conduit communicating with the fillable chamber, a hardenable filler material capable of being introduced through the conduit and into the fillable chamber, wherein the second expanded geometric shape is supported by the hardenable filler material, wherein the improvement comprises the deformable structure comprising a metal balloon.

5 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the metal balloon is composed of a shape memory metallic material or superelastic metallic material.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the shape memory metallic material or the superelastic metallic material further comprises a nickel-titanium alloy.

7 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the metal balloon further comprises at least one anchoring section thereof.

8 . A method of treating diseased or injured bone tissue comprising the steps of:

selecting an interior area in a bone tissue to be treated;

inserting a geometrically expansive metal balloon into the interior area of the bone tissue to be treated;

expanding the metal balloon to a desired expanded three dimensional geometry; and

fixing the desired expanded geometry thereby internally supporting the bone tissue using the device during treatment.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the selecting step further comprises the step of selecting the interior area using a minimally invasive image-guided technique.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the interior area in a bone tissue comprises an intramedullary canal.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the metal balloon further comprises at least one anchoring section thereof.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the inserting step further comprises the step of inserting the metal balloon into the intramedullary canal over a guidewire.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the metal balloon is fabricated of a shape memory metallic material or superelastic metallic material.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the shape memory metallic material or the superelastic metallic material further comprises a nickel-titanium alloy.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the fixing step further comprises the steps of introducing a filler material into the metal balloon.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the introducing step further comprises the step of introducing the filler material into the metal balloon through a catheter removably fastened to the metal balloon via a sealable port.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the introducing step further comprises the steps of:

introducing a fluid having a temperature greater than the phase transition temperature of Nitinol into the metal balloon to raise the temperature of the metal balloon to at least the phase transition temperature of Nitinol and thereby cause the metal balloon to expand; and

introducing the filler material into the expanded metal balloon through the catheter removably fastened to the metal balloon via the sealable port, wherein the filler material comprises a bone supporting material.

18 . The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

detaching the catheter from the metal balloon;

sealing the sealable port; and

maintaining the bone supporting material within the metal balloon in a pressurized environment.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , further comprising the steps of:

reattaching the catheter to the sealable port; and

withdrawing the bone supporting material from the metal balloon.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , further comprising the steps of:

introducing a fluid having a temperature less than the phase transition temperature of Nitinol into the metal balloon to lower the temperature of the metal balloon to below the phase transition temperature of Nitinol and thereby cause the metal balloon to collapse; and

withdrawing the metal balloon in a collapsed state from the interior area.

Assignments (10)