STENT EXPANSION COLUMN, STRUT AND CONNECTOR SLIT DESIGN

摘要

A bifurcated stent that is positionable adjacent to a branched body vessel. The stent includes a number of stent members at least some of which have slits extending through them. The slits are positioned relative to the tensile and compressive forces imposed by stent expansion to enhance the flexibility of the stent members. The slits can be positioned to increase stent compression about a catheter, increase how far the stent can be bent during catheter deployment, and allow specific portions of the stent to have improved flexibility. The slits can allow the stent to assume a bent shape, and compensate for rigidity imposed the bifurcating side branch. The slits can be combined with curved sections to create a highly flexibly stent.