Method for delivering medication into an arterial wall for prevention of restenosis

Abstract

A method for preventing a restenosis within a vessel wall requires a medicament be delivered at predetermined locations into the vessel wall and allowed to subsequently disperse in a predetermined pattern. To deliver the medicament, a catheter with an expanding member is advanced into the vasculature of a patient until the expanding member is located as desired. The expanding member is then expanded to force dispensers into the vessel wall to the proper depth. A medicament is then pumped through the dispensers to create a plurality of equally spaced, localized medicinal deliveries which subsequently disperse to medicate an annulus shaped volume within the vessel wall.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for releasing fluid medicaments at a site in the vasculature of a patient to prevent a restenosis in the lumen of a vessel comprising the steps of: 
 providing an expanding member defining an axis and having a plurality of dispensers mounted on said expanding member for movement therewith, said dispensers being positioned in a plane oriented substantially perpendicular to said axis;    advancing said expanding member through the vasculature to the site;    moving said expanding member between a first configuration wherein said dispensers are positioned substantially adjacent said axis of said expanding member, and a second configuration wherein said dispensers are radially extended from said axis for contact with the vessel wall at the site in the vasculature; and    releasing said fluid medicament through said dispensers into the vessel wall for a substantially circumferential dispersion of said fluid medicament through said wall around the lumen of the vessel.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament inhibits the proliferation of smooth tissue growth in the vessel.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a radioactive isotope.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament stimulates the production of collateral vessels.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament comprises  99m Tc (Technetium 99).  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament partly precipitates at approximately a vessel pH level of the vessel.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a binder which binds to at least a portion of the vessel wall.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament comprises  32 P(Phosphorous 32).  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a gene for gene therapy.  
     
     
         10 . A method for releasing fluid medicaments into a vessel wall of a patient to treat for a vessel disease at a treatment site, the vessel wall including a plurality of internal layers with one of the layers being a target layer, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing an expanding member defining an axis and having a plurality of dispensers mounted thereon for movement therewith, said dispensers being positioned in a plane oriented substantially perpendicular to said axis;    advancing said expanding member through the vessel to the site;    moving said expanding member between a first configuration wherein said dispensers are positioned substantially adjacent said axis of said expanding member, and a second configuration wherein said dispensers are radially extended from said axis for penetrating into the target layer of the vessel wall; and    releasing said fluid medicament through said dispensers into the target layer of the vessel wall for a substantially circumferential dispersion of said fluid medicament through said target layer of said wall around the lumen of the vessel.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the vessel wall is an artery having an intima layer and the target layer is the intima layer.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament inhibits the proliferation of smooth tissue growth in the vessel.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a radioactive isotope.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament stimulates the production of collateral vessels.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament comprises  99m Tc (Technetium 99).  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament partly precipitates at approximately a vessel pH level of the vessel.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a binder which binds to at least a portion of the vessel wall.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament comprises  32 P(Phosphorous 32).  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a gene for gene therapy.  
     
     
         20 . A method for releasing fluid medicaments into an arterial wall of a patient to treat for an arterial disease at a treatment site, the arterial wall including a media layer, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing an expanding member defining an axis, and having a plurality of dispensers mounted thereon for movement therewith, said dispensers being positioned in a plane oriented substantially perpendicular to said axis;    advancing said expanding member through the artery to the site;    moving said expanding member between a first configuration wherein said dispensers are positioned substantially adjacent said axis of said expanding member, and a second configuration wherein said dispensers are radially extended from said axis for penetrating into the media layer of the arterial wall; and    releasing said fluid medicament through said dispensers into the target layer of the arterial wall for a substantially circumferential dispersion of said fluid medicament through said media layer of said wall around the lumen of the artery.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament inhibits the proliferation of smooth tissue growth in the vessel.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a radioactive isotope.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament stimulates the production of collateral vessels.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament comprises  99m Tc (Technetium 99).  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament partly precipitates at approximately a vessel pH level of the vessel.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a binder which binds to at least a portion of the vessel wall.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament comprises  32 P(Phosphorous 32).  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 20  wherein said fluid medicament comprises a gene for gene therapy.