A stent includes a plurality of stent rings and a plurality of connecting members for connecting adjacent stent rings. The stent rings are expandable from an unexpanded state to an expanded state, each stent ring including a plurality of struts. An adjacent pair of connecting members connected to the same stent ring are disposed to be rotation-symmetric with respect to a center of a strut disposed therebetween.

A stent for vascular interventions having a hybrid open cell geometry. Variants of the stent include bare metal stents and drug-eluting stents. Embodiments of the stent include end projections for radiopaque markers or a discontinuous partial radiopaque coating on low-stress or low-strain regions of the peripheral stent. The stents of the invention are characterized by having thin walls, nested rows of struts, high expansion ratio, high and uniform radial force over entire diametric size and length of device, crush resistance up to and including about 90% of its fully expanded diameter, high fatigue resistance and high corrosion resistance.

This invention provides for a radially expandable stent having superior strength and reduced foreshortening properties. The stents have a mixed configuration of straight and arcuate connector segments that serve to join annular segments that make up the body of the stent. Surprisingly the described mixed configuration provides superior resistance to flip deformation while maintaining desired flexibility.

A prosthesis is disclosed for placement across an ostium opening from a main body lumen to a branch body lumen. The prosthesis has a radially expansible support and a bifurcation traversing portion. The radially expansible support is configured to be deployed in at least a portion of the branch body lumen. The bifurcation traversing portion has a biostable portion having a first end and a second end. The first end is located adjacent to the radially expansible support. The bifurcation traversing portion also has a biodegradable portion having a first end coupled with the second end of the biostable portion. The biodegradable portion has a second end disposed at an end of the prosthesis opposite the radially expansible support. When deployed, the bifurcation traversing portion extends from the radially expansible support across a bifurcation and into a main body lumen such that the carina is supported thereby.

A medical device includes a tubular support structure having a plurality of ringlets arranged sequentially along a common longitudinal axis thereof, a plurality of long connecting elements and optionally, a plurality of short connecting elements to connect the plurality of ringlets. Each of the plurality of ringlet is formed by of plurality of crowns connected along a circumferential direction, each crown being formed by two straight struts arranged in V-shaped configuration. At least one of the plurality of long connecting elements connects adjacent ringlets. In addition, consecutive long connecting elements connecting adjacent ringlets are to form a mirror-reflection of each other about a radial plane of reflection.

A prosthesis is disclosed including an expandable frame having a first region and a second region coupled to one another. The first region includes a transition segment and a flex segment. The stent members of the transition segment have proximal and distal apices arranged in a peak-to-peak relationship with one another. At least a portion of proximal and distal apices of the transition segment remains uncoupled to one another. The flex segment includes a stent member having proximal and distal apices arranged in a peak-to-valley relationship with the transition segment. Longitudinal tie bars are intermittently coupled between apices the flex segment and the transition segment at coupling joints. The coupling joint is located where the proximal and distal apices of the stent members of the transition segment remain uncoupled to one another. The transition and flex segments may form an alternating pattern. A flareable proximal portion may be included.

An absorbable stent includes an absorbable matrix. The matrix includes a number of wave-shaped rings connected by connection units and arranged in an axial direction. The wave-shaped ring includes a number of waves arranged in a circumferential direction. A peak, a valley and a support connecting the peak and the valley form the wave. Two adjacent wave-shaped rings and the connection unit form a closed side supporting unit. The matrix has a volume of [4, 40] m per unit blood vessel area. The absorbable stent has sufficient radial supporting strength for clinical applications. Moreover, the volume of the matrix per unit blood vessel area is less than volumes of existing stents. When the absorbable stent and existing stents are made of the same material, the absorbable stent has a shorter degradation and absorption cycle.

An intravascular stent (100, 200, 300) comprises a framework with openings and at least one radiopaque structure (103, 201, 301). Each radiopaque structure (103, 201, 301) comprises fixed bodies and radiopaque markers (105, 208, 307) filled in the fixed bodies. The fixed bodies are connected with the framework, and are at least partially disposed in the openings. The envelope enclosed area of all the radiopaque markers (105, 208, 307) in each radiopaque structure (103, 201, 301) is less than or equal to 2 mm.sup.2, and a sum of effective areas of all the radiopaque markers (105, 208, 307) in each radiopaque structure (103, 201, 301) is greater than or equal to 0.15 mm.sup.2, and a ratio of said sum of effective areas to said envelope enclosed area is greater than or equal to 1:5. The radiopaque structure (103, 201, 301) has a desirable visibility, and does not substantially affect the crimped diameter of the intravascular stent (100, 200, 300).

An intravascular stent includes cut-outs forming segmented patterns of the stent construction at the same time form the elongated lines of the main segment situated around the longitudinal stent axis and are connected via U-shaped connecting elements. This creates around the longitudinal axis of the stent a geometric pattern resembling a meander of gentle edges, and the two curves in the shape of a the letter V with rounded edges. The stent also includes an oval plate form a connecting segment to connect with the connecting elements of the elongated lines of the main segment, wherein every next main segment is a mirror reflection of the previous segment and in that the curves of the connecting element shaped like the letter V with rounded edges are a mutual mirror reflection in relation to the oval plate of the connecting segment. The stents can include a covering of various drugs.

A tubular medical instrument which can be easily ejected from a transfer device and accurately placed in a case the tubular medical instrument is released from the transfer device and placed at an affected area is provided. A tubular medical instrument includes ends portions, and a central portion, wherein each of the end portions is a region including one axial end of the tubular medical instrument and having a length of 10% with respect to an axial length L.sub.1 of the tubular medical instrument, the central portion is a region including an axial center of the tubular medical instrument and having a length of 10% with respect to the axial length L1 of the tubular medical instrument, and a ratio (difference V/difference W) is 3 or more.