Stent

摘要

A radially expansible annular stent is disclosed. The stent comprises a plurality of stenting turns around a lumen centered on a longitudinal axis. Adjacent turns of the stent are joined by connector struts. The stent annulus has a wall thickness related to the material from which it is formed. The radial thickness of the connector struts is smaller than that of the stent annulus. A method of making such a stent is also disclosed. The method includes cutting the connector struts from a tubular workpiece with a laser beam. The laser beam is aimed so as to be offset from a longitudinal axis of the workpiece to provide the reduced radial thickness of the connector struts.

主权项

1. A method of making a stent comprising:
providing a seamless tubular workpiece; creating a plurality of stenting turns in the workpiece, the stenting turns defining a lumen centered on a longitudinal axis; and forming a plurality of connector struts connecting adjacent stenting turns, at least one of the connector struts having a transverse cross-section including a luminal apex at the intersection of a first straight line and a second straight line, the luminal apex being the point on the connector strut closest to the longitudinal axis, and an abluminal apex at the intersection of a third straight line and a fourth straight line, the abluminal apex being the point on the connector strut furthest from the longitudinal axis, each of the first, second, third, and fourth straight lines lying in a plane that does not intersect the longitudinal axis, the first, second, third, and fourth straight lines together defining an entire outer perimeter of the transverse cross-section, wherein the forming step comprises forming the at least one connector strut such that the transverse cross-section is symmetrical about a plane that extends through the luminal apex, the abluminal apex, and the longitudinal axis.