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1. A generally cylindrical, balloon-expandable stent for delivery to a desired location in a coronary artery on a stent delivery catheter, said stent having a first, pre-deployment linear configuration and diameter and a second, deployed diameter that is configured to expand the coronary artery at the desired location, said stent being a unitary structure cut from a pre-existing, thin-walled metal tube and having a circumference and a longitudinal axis, said stent having sufficient flexibility to permit percutaneous delivery to the coronary artery which is curved; said stent in its first pre-deployment diameter, comprising:
a plurality of ring elements that define a plurality of spaced apart, generally cylindrical, longitudinally aligned segments of the stent that provide radial support to the stent; and a plurality of non-linear connecting elements interconnecting the generally cylindrical segments to one another, each of the connecting elements having first and second end portions that are fixedly connected and respectively interconnect longitudinally adjacent ones of said generally cylindrical segments, at least a central portion of each connecting element intermediate the ends thereof being circumferentially and longitudinally arcuate, in said first pre-deployment linear configuration, so that said portion can flex so that the connecting elements can expand or contract in length, as measured by the straight line distance between the respective end portions thereof, as the stent is being passed through the curved coronary artery, an outside surface of said stent corresponding to an outside surface of said thin-walled metal tube, said stent being monolithic, wherein said plurality of generally cylindrical segments and said plurality of connecting elements are of uniform thickness, wherein each of said central portions includes an undulating portion, wherein said undulating portion is generally in the form of a sine wave.
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