Methods for modifying vascular vessel walls
View Patent ↗This invention relates in one aspect to the treatment of a vascular vessel with a biomaterial. The biomaterial can be a remodelable material that strengthens and/or supports the vessel walls. Additionally the biomaterial can include a variety of naturally occurring or added bioactive agents and/or viable cellular populations.
1. A method of treating a patient to modify a vascular vessel having a defect, the method comprising:
accessing a treatment site proximate to a defect in a vascular vessel, wherein said treatment site is associated with a vascular valve; and
introducing a flowable biomaterial into a vessel wall at the treatment site.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing comprises inserting a cannulated delivery device intra-lumenally through the vascular vessel.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said biomaterial is angiogenic.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein said introducing comprises injecting the biomaterial through the cannulated delivery device into the vessel wall.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing comprises inserting a cannulated delivery device exo-lumenally to the treatment site.
6. The method of claim 5 comprising injecting the biomaterial through the cannulated delivery device into the vessel wall.
7. The method of claim 1 comprising injecting the biomaterial into two or more sites spaced circumferentially about the vascular vessel.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said introducing comprises delivering the biomaterial into the wall to reshape the vascular vessel.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomaterial comprises an extracellular matrix material.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomaterial comprises submucosa tissue.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomaterial comprises collagen.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said submucosa is porcine, bovine, or ovine submucosa.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomaterial comprises a bioactive substance.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomaterial comprises a population of viable cells.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the cells comprise autologous cells.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biomaterial is remodelable.