Balloon-expandable, crush-resistant locking stent

摘要

Body lumen is provided with a crush-resistant stent (2) comprising a number of resilient, parallel struts (4) extending from a base section (6), which can be stretched from a zigzag configuration of large amplitude to one of small amplitude. Openings are formed in the base section for each strut, having a width less than the large amplitude. The struts are curved so that they pass through the openings when stretched to form a cylindrical hoop. Preferably the struts are of a shape memory alloy, particularly a nickel-titanium alloy. Durable crush-proof construction with simplified locking mechanism