Expandable radiopaque marker for transcatheter aortic valve implantation

1. A method of determining the position of a collapsible prosthetic heart valve in a patient, the method comprising:

providing a delivery device including a support shaft around which a compartment is defined, a distal sheath adapted to selectively cover and uncover the compartment, and a marker cage having a collapsed condition when the distal sheath covers the compartment and an expanded condition when the compartment is uncovered, the marker cage including a plurality of ribs disposed around a longitudinal axis of the support shaft, each rib having at least one radiopaque marker;

mounting a collapsible prosthetic heart valve in the compartment so that the marker cage is positioned within the valve;

sliding the distal sheath to cover the compartment and the valve, and to maintain the marker cage in the collapsed condition;

inserting the delivery device into the patient;

positioning the delivery device so that the valve is positioned at a target location within the patient;

partially deploying the valve by sliding the distal sheath to partially uncover the compartment and the valve;

determining the position of the at least one marker relative to a native valve annulus of the patient;

fully deploying the valve by continuing to slide the distal sheath to fully uncover the valve, whereupon the marker cage will be in the expanded condition; and

compressing the marker cage to the collapsed condition by sliding the distal sheath to at least partially cover the compartment and the marker cage,

wherein the steps of partially deploying and fully deploying include expanding the marker cage with each rib positioned between adjacent leaflets of the valve.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the marker cage has a first end fixedly connected to the support shaft and each rib has a fixed end connected to the first end.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the marker cage has a second end slidably connected to the support shaft, and each rib has another end connected to the second end.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second end of the marker cage is fixedly connected to the support shaft, and each rib has another end connected to the second end.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein each rib has a free end opposite the fixed end.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiopaque markers are positioned equidistantly from the longitudinal axis in the expanded condition of the marker cage.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compressing step includes compressing the marker cage during a portion of the heart beat cycle when blood is flowing through the leaflets of the valve.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prosthetic heart valve includes a tissue cuff having a longitudinal axis, and the steps of partially deploying and fully deploying include expanding the marker cage with the radiopaque markers oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each radiopaque marker includes a material selected from the group consisting of gold, platinum, nitinol, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the marker cage is formed from a memory material tube having an aperture extending therethrough.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the marker cage has an expanded diameter that is greater than an expanded diameter of the prosthetic heart valve.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein each rib has first and second legs, the first leg having one end connected to the first end of the marker cage and another end, the second leg having a first end connected to the another end of the first leg and a second end, wherein the second leg extends substantially parallel to the support shaft when the marker cage is in the expanded condition.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the marker cage has a second end slidably connected to the support shaft, and each rib further includes a third leg having one end connected to the second end of the second leg and another end connected to the second end of the marker cage, wherein the first and third legs of each rib extend in substantially opposite transverse directions to the support shaft when the marker cage is in the expanded condition.