Stents and methods for managing passage of material through a body lumen

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to stents and methods for managing passage of material through a body lumen. In some embodiments, a medical stent may include a stent body defined by a hollow tubular elongate structure extending along a central axis, the stent body including a first portion and a second portion. The medical stent may further include a control region between the first and second portions, wherein in a first configuration the hollow tubular elongate structure of the control region is in a closed, twisted configuration, and wherein in a second configuration the hollow tubular elongate structure of the control region is in an open, expanded configuration.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for managing passage of material through a gastrointestinal tract of a patient, the method comprising:
 inserting a stent body within a gastrointestinal tract of a patient, wherein the stent body comprises a hollow tubular elongate structure extending along an axis, and wherein the stent body comprises a first portion and a second portion; and   providing a barrier between the first portion and the second portion by twisting the hollow tubular elongate structure about the axis to form a control region configured to untwist in response to a force upon the hollow tubular elongate structure of the control region when implanted in the patient to provide a passageway between the first portion and the second portion.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 forming one or more constriction points in the hollow tubular elongate structure of the control region; and   thermally treating the one or more constriction points.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising securing the stent body within the gastrointestinal tract using a lumen anchoring flange extending from the first portion, and allowing the second portion to rotate with respect to the first portion while in the patient to untwist the control region. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising securing the first portion and the second portion to the gastrointestinal tract, and forming the control region to untwist while the first portion and the second portion remain secured to the gastrointestinal tract. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising securing the stent body within the gastrointestinal tract using a first lumen anchoring flange extending from the first portion and a second lumen anchoring flange extending from the second portion, with the control region being configured to untwist relative to both the first lumen anchoring flange and the second lumen anchoring flange. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming a covering over the hollow tubular elongate structure. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming the control region by twisting a portion of the hollow tubular elongate structure extending between the first portion and the second portion to form a first constriction point and a second constriction point with a twisted portion therebetween. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising forming the control region by twisting the hollow tubular elongate structure extending between the first portion and the second portion 180-360 degrees to form the first constriction point, and twisting the hollow tubular elongate structure 180-360 degrees in the opposite direction to form the second constriction point. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming the control region by twisting a first portion of the hollow tubular elongate structure in a first direction about the axis thereof, and twisting a second portion of the hollow tubular elongate structure in a second direction about the axis thereof, the first direction being opposite the first direction. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising anchoring the first portion and the second portion with respect to the gastrointestinal tract of the patient, the control region being configured to untwist therebetween to open the hollow tubular elongate structure for passage of material therethrough in response to a force applied thereto by the material. 
     
     
         11 . A method for managing passage of material through a gastrointestinal tract of a patient, the method comprising:
 inserting a stent body within a gastrointestinal tract of a patient, wherein the stent body comprises a hollow tubular elongate structure extending along an axis, and wherein the stent body comprises a first portion and a second portion and a twisted control region between the first portion and the second portion; and   fixing at least one of the first portion or the second portion of the stent body relative to the gastrointestinal tract of a patient with the twisted control region configured to untwist in response to a force upon the control region when implanted in the patient to provide a passageway between the first portion and the second portion. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:   forming one or more constriction points in the hollow tubular elongate structure of the twisted control region; and   thermally treating the one or more constriction points.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising securing the stent body within the gastrointestinal tract using a lumen anchoring flange extending from the first portion, and allowing the second portion to rotate with respect to the first portion while in the patient to untwist the twisted control region to allow material to pass through twisted control region. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising securing the first portion and the second portion to the gastrointestinal tract, and forming the twisted control region to untwist while the first portion and the second portion remain secured to the gastrointestinal tract. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising securing the stent body within the gastrointestinal tract using a first lumen anchoring flange extending from the first portion and a second lumen anchoring flange extending from the second portion, with the twisted control region being configured to untwist relative to both the first lumen anchoring flange and the second lumen anchoring flange in response to a force applied thereto. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising forming a covering over the hollow tubular elongate structure. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising forming the twisted control region by twisting a portion of the hollow tubular elongate structure extending between the first portion and the second portion to form a first constriction point and a second constriction point with a twisted portion therebetween. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising forming the control region by twisting the hollow tubular elongate structure extending between the first portion and the second portion 180-360 degrees to form the first constriction point, and twisting the hollow tubular elongate structure 180-360 degrees in the opposite direction to form the second constriction point. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising forming the twisted control region by twisting a first portion of the hollow tubular elongate structure in a first direction about the axis thereof, and twisting a second portion of the hollow tubular elongate structure in a second direction about the axis thereof, the first direction being opposite the first direction. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising anchoring the first portion and the second portion with respect to the gastrointestinal tract of the patient, the control region being able to untwist therebetween to open the hollow tubular elongate structure for passage of material therethrough in response to a force applied thereto by the material passing from the first portion to the second portion.