a first embodiment of an aortic stent for trapping plaque is shown in fig1 a . stent 1 comprises an elongated cylindrical member having a first end 2 , a second end 3 , and a lumen 4 therebetween . the stent can be made of nitinol or stainless steel , or any other suitable material known in the art . the stent is expandable between a compressed state that allows the stent to be advanced through narrow vessels and through the aorta and an enlarged state . the stent can be generally straight as depicted in fig1 a or curved as depicted in fig1 b . the stent may have one or more side openings 5 as depicted in fig1 c to allow blood to flow into branching arteries . the stent can have small pores ( fig1 b ), no pores ( fig1 a ), or a mesh with large pores ( fig1 c ). in another embodiment , the stent will include one , two , or three side openings as depicted in fig2 a . the one or more side openings may , in certain cases , be equipped with sleeves 8 that ensure proper alignment with vessels that branch from the aorta . in other cases , as shown in fig2 b , the stent contains an elongate side opening 5 that will allow blood flow to pass to a number of branching vessels . in still another embodiment , the stent will include both an elongate side opening 5 that allows blood flow to a number of vessels and smaller opening 7 , with or without sleeve 8 , as depicted in fig2 c . in other cases , as shown in fig2 d , stent 1 will have one opening 5 with sleeve 8 . in use , the stent may be deployed in the ascending aorta , the aortic arch , the descending aorta , or the abdominal aorta to trap mobile aortic atheroma against the endoluminal wall of the aorta and thereby prevent downstream embolic events , e . g ., stroke , renal infarction , or distal extremity infarction . the stent can be placed using a catheter or guidewire , with or without a filter , as depicted in fig3 a . stent 1 is positioned on wire 20 , and advanced into the ascending aorta adjacent mobile atheroma 99 . wire 20 may include a filter 25 proximal and downstream stent 1 to capture emboli dislodged during the procedure . when stent 1 is positioned , filter 25 is expanded to cover the endoluminal circumference of the aorta . the stent is then expanded , either by inflating a balloon or by release of a self - expanding stent . when the stent reaches and makes contact with the endoluminal wall , mobile aortic atheroma is trapped and held in place against the endoluminal surface of the aorta as depicted in fig3 b . in another method of use , stent 1 is positioned in the ascending aorta and extends into the aortic arch as shown in fig4 a . the filter is secured to guidewire 20 , which has distal filter 26 positioned in brachiocephalic artery 101 for protection of the cerebral vasculature , and proximal filter 25 positioned in the aorta downstream of stent 1 for protection of the other cerebral arteries and renal arteries . guidewire 20 extends through side opening 5 on stent 1 . with this arrangement , side opening 5 aligns with the takeoff of brachiocephalic artery 101 when deployed . fig4 b shows an alternative wherein filter 26 , which protects brachiocephalic artery 101 , is advanced separately , on wire 29 , via the right subclavian or right brachial artery . the deployment of stent 1 is shown in fig4 c , wherein opening 5 communicates with brachiocephalic artery 101 . after deployment , filter 26 is contracted and withdrawn and filter 25 is likewise contracted and withdrawn . fig5 shows a further method for deploying an aortic stent . occlusion balloon 30 is positioned in brachiocephalic artery 101 held by elongate tubular member 31 inserted via right subclavian or right brachial artery . balloon 30 is expanded causing blood flow to reverse and flow retrograde down the right internal carotid artery and right common carotid artery 104 and into right subclavian artery 105 . a first filter 25 is deployed in the aortic arch between the brachiocephalic artery and left common carotid artery 102 . a second filter 27 is deployed covering the takeoffs of left common carotid artery 102 and left subclavian artery 103 . first filter 25 and second filter 27 are carried by guidewire 20 , which also carries aortic stent 1 . with one or both filters deployed and occlusion balloon 30 expanded , stent 1 is expanded into contact with the endoluminal surface of the aorta to trap mobile aortic atheroma . side opening 5 is aligned to communicate with brachiocephalic artery 101 . in fig6 , a stent is deployed having three separate side openings , each having a sleeve adapted to fit the takeoff of brachiocephalic artery 101 , left common artery 102 , and left subclavian artery 103 , respectively . occlusion balloon 30 , mounted on elongate tubular member 31 , protects the brachiocephalic artery . tubular member 31 is inserted via the right subclavian artery or right brachial artery . occlusion balloons 35 and 36 , mounted on elongate tubular member 33 are inserted via the left subclavian artery . elongate tubular member 33 extends through opening 5 of stent 1 and passes through opening 6 to access common carotid artery 102 . balloon 36 is located and expanded in the left common carotid artery while balloon 35 expands and protects left subclavian artery 103 . filter 25 carried by guidewire 20 is deployed downstream of the aortic stent to capture emboli inadvertently dislodged during stent deployment . with distal protection in place , stent 1 is expanded to trap mobile aortic atheroma against the endoluminal surface of the aorta . fig7 depicts an alternative using a stent having elongate side opening 5 that extends from a position upstream the takeoff brachiocephalic artery 101 to a position downstream of left subclavian artery 103 . this elongate opening allows each of the great arteries to communicate with blood flowing through the interior lumen of stent 1 . in certain cases , the occlusion balloon in the brachiocephalic artery will be replaced by filter 26 deployed on guidewire 29 via right subclavian artery or right brachial artery . a further embodiment of a stent with distal protection is shown in fig8 a . stent 1 includes elongate side opening 5 , which aligns with the great arteries . guidewire 20 carries three filters 25 , 26 , and 27 , for placement in each of brachiocephalic artery 101 , left common artery 102 , and left subclavian artery 103 , respectively . after the filters are in place and expanded , stent 1 is expanded to trap mobile aortic atheroma as shown in fig8 b . guidewire 20 extends through opening 5 of stent 1 to access the great vessels . the passage of guidewire 20 through opening 5 helps to align opening 5 with the great vessels on expansion of the aortic stent . fig9 depicts a mesh stent having three side openings 11 , 12 , and 13 . the use of this stent with distal protection is shown in fig9 a . stent 1 is carried at the distal end of guidewire 20 , which also carries aortic filter 25 . filter 26 , carried by guidewire 29 , is located and expanded to protect brachiocephalic artery 101 . guidewire 29 is inserted through the right subclavian artery or the right brachial artery . guidewire 15 , carrying first filter 27 and second filter 28 , is inserted through the left subclavian artery . guidewire 15 extends through opening 13 of stent 1 and further extends through opening 12 of stent 1 to access common carotid artery 102 . filter 27 expands to protect left common carotid artery 102 while filter 28 expands to protect left subclavian artery 103 . aortic stent 1 is then deployed to trap mobile aortic atheroma . filters 25 , 26 , 27 , and 28 are contracted for removal of guidewires 15 , 20 , and 29 . fig1 a shows the use of the aortic stent 1 having elongate side opening 5 with distal protection to cover all three great arteries at once . filter 25 is attached to guidewire 20 , which carries stent 1 . guidewire 20 extends through side opening 5 to allow placement of filter 25 over the takeoffs of the three great arteries . the extension of guidewire 20 through side opening 5 ensures the alignment of opening 5 with the great arteries . stent 1 is expanded to trap mobile aortic atheroma as shown in fig1 b . filter 25 is contracted and guidewire 20 and filter 25 are removed from the aorta . more than one stent may be placed in different areas of the aorta to trap mobile aortic atheroma . for example , fig1 shows placement of a first stent in the ascending aorta with filter 26 providing distal protection . filter 26 is deployed before expansion of the upstream stent . a second stent is deployed to trap mobile aortic atheroma in the abdominal region of the descending aorta . filter 25 is deployed downstream of this second stent for protection of the renal arteries and the lower extremities . both stents and filters are carried by guidewire 20 . alternatively , as depicted in fig1 , one or more stents may be placed in the region of superior mesenteric artery 111 , inferior mesenteric artery 112 , and spinal arteries 113 and 114 . such a stent will have one or more side openings such as shown in fig1 to permit blood flow to these branching vessels . moreover , a further stent can be placed in the region of the renal arteries as shown in fig1 . guidewire 20 carries filter 25 for protection of the distal extremities , filter 26 for protection of the right renal artery and filter 27 for protection of the left renal artery . filters 25 , 26 , and 27 are placed in their respective arteries and expanded before stent deployment . the aortic stent is expanded to trap mobile aortic plaque , the filters are contracted , and guidewire 20 with filters are removed . in another embodiment , a single elongate stent can span a region from upstream superior mesenteric artery 111 to downstream of the renal arteries . filter 25 and optional filters 26 and 27 are deployed respectively in the aorta , right renal artery , and the left renal artery . stent 1 is expanded with side openings aligned to provide fluid communication between the branching arteries and blood flow through the lumen of stent 1 . filters 25 and optionally 26 and 27 are contracted and guidewire 20 is removed . it should be understood that the devices and methods described herein can be used for the treatment of mobile aortic atheroma as well as the treatment of protuberant stationary plaques and ulcerated plaques in the aorta . moreover , any of the various aortic stents can be used with any combination of filter protection and / or occlusive balloon protection . the stents for use herein will generally range in length from 1 cm to 20 cm , in other cases from 3 cm to 15 cm , and in other cases from 5 cm to 8 cm . the stent will have a diameter before expansion of 1 - 10 mm , in other cases 2 - 8 mm , and in other cases 3 - 7 mm . after expansion , the stent will reach a diameter of 3 - 4 cm , in other cases 2 - 3 cm , and in other cases 1 . 5 - 2 . 5 cm depending on the location in the aorta and the anatomy of the individual patient . the foregoing ranges are intended only to illustrate typical device dimensions . devices in accordance with the present invention can vary outside these ranges without departing from the inventive principles taught herein . although the foregoing invention has , for the purposes of clarity and understanding , been described in some detail by way of illustration and example , it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced which will still fall within the scope of the appended claims . it will also be understood that any feature or features from any one embodiment , or any reference cited herein , may be used with any combination of features from any other embodiment .
a method for treating both sessile and mobile aortic atheroma is described . a radially expanding device , such as a stent or compliant cast , comprising a generally cylindrical member expandable between a compressed state and an enlarged state is provided . the cylindrical member has a proximal opening , a distal opening , a lumen therebetween , and at least one side opening in the wall of the generally cylindrical member . the methods comprise imaging the aorta to identify position and extent of atheroma . the stent is then advanced into the aortic arch and positioned so that the at least one side - opening is aligned with the takeoff of one or more of the right brachiocephalic artery , the left common carotid artery , or the left subclavian artery . the stent is expanded into contact with the endoluminal surface of the aorta and atheroma is trapped between the stent and the endoluminal surface of the aorta .