| 摘要 |
The present invention concerns an expandable stent for supporting a body lumen formed from an elongate strip of biocompatible material that is helically wrapped into a tubular shape. The strip is formed with a tongue extending along one edge and a groove along the other. The tongue is slidably received in the groove as the strip is wound into helical wraps that form a tube. The tongue and groove engagement interlocks the wraps to maintain the tubular shape. Sliding of the tongue within the groove permits the wraps to slide relative to each other causing the diameter of the stent to be increased or decreased. An increase in the stent diameter corresponds to a decrease in the length of the stent and vice versa. Thus the stent can be delivered to a vessel site in reduced diameter long length configuration, then deployed by compressing its length to cause expansion. Preferably, the stent is formed from a polymeric and bioabsorbable material that can be loaded with a pharmaceutical to provide localized drug delivery.
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