Expandable body device and method of use for aneurysm treatment

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Diagnosis & Surgery (A61B)

Published March 31st, 2026

Detected March 31st, 2026

Summary

USPTO granted Patent US12589014B2 to Artio Medical, Inc. for an expandable body device (ballstent/blockstent) and delivery catheter system designed to treat saccular vascular aneurysms and occlude blood vessel segments. The patent covers devices comprising gold, platinum, or silver that can be compressed, positioned, and expanded to conform to aneurysm shapes, with external surfaces configured to promote thrombosis and tissue ingrowth.

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What changed

USPTO granted Patent US12589014B2 on March 31, 2026, to Artio Medical, Inc. (inventors F. Nicholas Franano and Katherine Stephenson) for a single-lobed, thin-walled expandable body device and flexible delivery catheter. The patent covers methods for treating saccular vascular aneurysms and occluding blood vessel segments using devices that can be compressed, positioned in the aneurysm lumen, and expanded to conform to the target shape. The external surface may be configured to promote local thrombosis and tissue growth to reduce migration and seal the aneurysm, and may release drugs promoting thrombosis, cell proliferation, or extracellular matrix deposition.

This is a patent grant notice, not a regulatory requirement. No compliance actions, deadlines, or penalties apply. Parties interested in this technology should consult patent counsel regarding licensing or freedom-to-operate analysis if developing similar medical devices.

Source document (simplified)

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Expandable body device and method of use

Grant US12589014B2 Kind: B2 Mar 31, 2026

Assignee

Artio Medical, Inc.

Inventors

F. Nicholas Franano, Katherine Stephenson

Abstract

Disclosed herein are medical devices comprising a single-lobed, thin-walled, expandable body (“ballstent” or “blockstent”) and a flexible, elongated delivery device (“delivery catheter”) and systems and methods of use for treating saccular vascular aneurysms and methods of use for occluding segments of blood vessels and other biological conduits. Expandable bodies comprising gold, platinum, or silver that can be compressed, positioned in the lumen of an aneurysm or blood vessel, and expanded to conform to the shape of the aneurysm or segment of blood vessel or biological conduit are disclosed. The external surface of the expandable bodies can be configured to promote local thrombosis and to promote the growth of tissue into and around the wall in order to reduce migration of the expandable body and to occlude and seal the aneurysm or biological conduit. The wall of the expandable bodies can also be configured to release drugs or pharmacologically active molecules, such as those that promote thrombosis, cell proliferation, extracellular matrix deposition, or tissue ingrowth.