METHODS FOR PLACING A STENT IN A BRANCHED VESSEL

1 . A method of placing a stent at a target site within vasculature comprising a main vessel and at least one side branch vessel in fluid communication with the main vessel, the stent comprising a main lumen and at least one side branch lumen, the method comprising:

advancing a catheter through the vasculature to the target site;

deploying the stent from the catheter at the target site, where deploying the stent comprises selectively changing the size of at least one of the main lumen and the side branch lumen independently from one another such that the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing graft material on the stent to integrate the stent into the target site.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the stent is deployed without completely disrupting blood flow in the main vessel.

4 . The method of claim 1 further comprising employing a guidewire to implant the stent wherein the distal tip of the guidewire comprises at least one intravascular ultrasonic transducer.

5 . The method of claim 1 , where the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively, by expanding and reducing a diameter of the main lumen and the side branch lumen.

6 . The method of claim 1 , where the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively, by applying and releasing tension on the main lumen and the side branch lumen.

7 . The method of claim 1 , where the main lumen is releasably coupled to a first deployer and the side branch lumen is releasably coupled to a second deployer, and where at least a portion of the second deployer is within the first deployer.

8 . A method of placing a stent at a target site within vasculature comprising a main vessel and at least one side branch vessel in fluid communication with the main vessel, the stent comprising a main lumen and a at least one side branch lumen, the method comprising:

creating a first incision at a first location within the vasculature leading to the target site;

creating a second incision at a second location within the vasculature leading to the target site;

positioning the main lumen within the main vessel using at least one line extending from the first incision;

positioning the side branch lumen within a side branch vessel using at least one line extending from the second incision; and

selectively tensioning the lines independently from one another to selectively deploy the main lumen in the main vessel and to selectively deploy the side branch lumen in the side branch vessel such that the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising placing a graft material around at least a portion of the stent prior to placing the stent in a vessel.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising;

placing the stent in a catheter comprising a lumen having proximal and distal ends;

inserting the distal end of the catheter into the first incision; and

navigating the distal end of the catheter to the target site.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising deploying the stent from the catheter.

12 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising selectively tensioning the main lumen and the side branch lumen independently from one another such that the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively.

13 . The method of claim 12 , where the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively, by increasing and decreasing tension on the main lumen and the side branch lumen.

14 . The method of claim 8 , where the main lumen is releasably coupled to a first deployer and the side branch lumen is releasably coupled to a second deployer, and where the second deployer is within the main lumen and the side branch lumen during at least a portion of the selectively tensioning step.

15 . A method of treating an aortic aneurysm of a human patient, comprising:

moving a stent to a target site at the aneurysm using a first line connected to the stent and a second line connected to the stent; and

deploying the stent from the catheter at the target site, wherein the stent comprises a main lumen and at least one side branch lumen where deploying the stent comprises selectively deploying the main lumen and the side branch lumen independently from one another such that the side branch lumen is independently repositionable in the side branch vessel.

16 . The method of claim 15 , where the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively, by at least one of selectively expanding a dimension of the main lumen and the side branch lumen and selectively reducing the dimension of the main lumen and the side branch lumen.

17 . The method of claim 15 , where deploying the stent further comprises increasing and decreasing the size of the main lumen independently of the size of the side branch lumen.

18 . The method of claim 15 , where the main lumen is releasably coupled to a first deployer and the side branch lumen is releasably coupled to a second deployer, and where the second deployer is within the main lumen during at least a portion of the selectively tensioning step.

19 . The method of claim 15 , where the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively, by expanding and reducing a dimension of the main lumen.

20 . The method of claim 15 , where the main lumen and the side branch lumen are independently repositionable in the main vessel and the side branch vessel, respectively, by expanding and reducing a dimension of the side branch lumen.