Temporary vascular scaffold and scoring device

A method of treating a target site within a vascular lumen while diminishing injury to a vascular wall, the method comprising:

• expanding, over about one to two minutes, a stent structure comprising a plurality of support filaments and a plurality of notched scoring elements coupled to the plurality of support filaments against a vessel wall of the target site, wherein each notched scoring element has a rounded apex configured to create indentations, microfractures, or both in tissue of the target site, wherein in an expanded configuration the plurality of notched scoring elements are oriented perpendicular to the vascular lumen to indent and stretch the tissue;
• keeping the stent structure expanded against the vessel wall for at least three minutes, wherein (i) the plurality of support filaments of the expanded stent structure maintain sufficient pressure against the vessel wall, and (ii) the plurality of notched scoring elements create crevices in a plaque on the vessel wall during the at least three minutes to compress the plaque and stretch the tissue, thereby inhibiting at least one of elastic recoil, flow limiting dissections, or vasospasm;
• and
• collapsing the stent structure.