Introduction catheter set for a collapsible self-expandable implant

Claim 1

An introduction catheter set for introducing a collapsible, self-expandable implant, e.g. a filter for entrapping thrombi or emboli into a blood vessel of a patient, said implant being of the type comprising a number of diverging spring-biased anchoring legs to centre the implant in respect of the blood flow through said vessel, the anchoring legs having free ends for engaging said vessel, said catheter set comprising a flexible external guide sheath, a flexible internal catheter having a tubular end member at its distal end and being slidably displaceable inside said guide sheath to a position in which said tubular end member protrudes from the distal end of said sheath, and a retaining member slidably arranged in said tubular end member for releasably retaining the free ends of the anchoring legs of the implant in defined angular positions in respect of each other, said retaining member being connected with a flexible displacement member extending throughout the internal catheter, the proximal ends of said displacement member and the internal catheter being connected with a first and a second operating member, respectively, by operation of which said retaining member is displaceable in respect of said tubular end member from a retaining position, in which the anchoring legs of the implant are inside said tubular end member, to a release position, in which the retaining member protrudes from the tubular end member to release the anchoring legs of the implant.