Sutureless gastroesophageal anti-reflux valve prosthesis and tool for peroral implantation thereof

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As exemplified by the figures, the present invention provides a peroral prosthesis system for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in a patient comprising an anti-reflux valve prosthesis, and a peroral implantation tool for perorally inserting and positioning the valve prosthesis at the distal end of the lumen of the esophagus, and implanting or fixing the valve prosthesis to the lumen wall.
Referring to FIG.
1, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a valve prosthesis 81 comprising a generally cylindrical housing 83 having a bell-shaped upper end 83a, a bell-shaped lower end 83b, and a central bore 83c.
The upper end 83a and the lower end 83b of the cylindrical housing 83 are used by the prosthesis 81 to engage the lumen of the esophagus (see FIG.
11), and the inner diameter or central bore 83c of the cylindrical housing 83 is compatible with orthograde passage of ingested (or swallowed) material through the lumen of the esophagus.
The cylindrical housing 83 is constructed of a memory material that allows the cylindrical housing 83 to be acted upon and deformed, but to return to its original shape when the deformation force is removed.
The cylindrical housing 83 is deformed during installation of the prosthesis 81 (see FIG.
8), but returns to its original shape upon release, or is expandable by a balloon, for example, to its original shape (see FIGS.
9-10).
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the memory material comprises a metal wire mesh.
The exterior surface of the metal mesh facing the esophageal wall preferably has a textured surface to promote adhesion and facilitate anchoring of the prosthesis 81 to the adjacent esophageal wall, while the interior surfaces are preferably smooth and/or hydrophobic to facilitate the orthograde passage of food and liquids therethrough.
Thus, the exterior of the metal mesh can be made of or coated with microporous ceramic such as apatite, for example, hydroxyapatite, open- or closed-cell elastomer foams such as polyurethane, for example, or the like