摘要 |
A stent having a structure differentiated in terms of its stiffness. Such differentiation is achieved with the use of a superelastic material that transitions between a relatively soft and malleable phase to a stiffer phase at a transition temperature that is adjustable. By differentially adjusting the transition temperature of different portions of the stent, a differentiation of the stiffness of the structure is achieved upon the stent being subjected to body temperature. |