Importance

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Abstract

An artificial blood vessel A comprises a pair of discrete end wire rings 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2, a tubular cover 7 made of a sheet of flexible, tensile material which connects the end wire rings 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2, and a plurality of intermediate wire rings 12 arranged spaced apart between the end wire rings 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2 and circumferentially fixed to the cover 7 by suturing or with adhesive. All of the rings are located on the outside of the cover. To implant the vessel A via a catheter, a plurality of dividing points 41.sub.1, 43.sub.1 which bisect the circumference of the front end wire ring 10.sub.1 are pulled forward while the movement of the midpoints 42.sub.1, 44.sub.1 between the dividing points 41.sub.1, 43.sub.1 following the movement of the dividing points 41.sub.1, 43.sub.1 is restrained by the projections 18c on a tapered surface 18d of a funneled tube 18 so as to fold the front end wire ring 10.sub.1 into a wavy shape, with the dividing points 41.sub.1, 43.sub.1 forming forwardly directed peaks and the midpoints 42.sub.1, 44.sub.1 forming the bottoms of forwardly directed valleys. The dividing points of the front wire ring are pulled farther forward so as to fold the intermediate wire rings 12 and the rear end wire ring 10.sub.2 into a regular wavy shape having the same phase as that of the front wire ring 10.sub.1 by the effect of restraint by the tapered surface 18d and the projections 18c, thereby to collapse the artificial blood vessel A as a whole into a small size for passage through the catheter. Upon release of the artificial vessel from the catheter at the affected portion of the blood vessel, the artificial vessel is restored to its original shape. The end wire rings, the cover, and the intermediate wire rings alone keep the shape of the artificial vessel.

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First Claim