Expandable stent

An expandable stent for medical implantation, comprising:

• a generally cylindrical structure having a central longitudinal axis, wherein at least a portion of the generally cylindrical structure is formed from an arrangement of circumferentially curved structural members;
• wherein each structural member comprises two segments, each segment comprising a first end and a second end, the first end of one segment being connected to the first end of the other segment, thereby forming the structural member, and the second end of each segment being connected to another segment of a different structural member, such that the structural members are oppositely and alternately positioned along a longitudinal direction, thereby forming the portion of the generally cylindrical structure, the portion expanding from a compressed state to an expanded state by a spiraling motion of each of the structural members about the central longitudinal axis;
• wherein each structural member comprises a crossbar connected to each of the two segments, thereby forming a closed cell region within each structural member;
• and
• wherein a ratio of a circumferential length of each structural member to a spacing between adjacent structural members is in the range of from about 1.8 to about 3.2.

An expandable stent for medical implantation, comprising:

• a generally cylindrical structure having a central longitudinal axis, wherein at least a portion of the generally cylindrical structure is formed from an arrangement of circumferentially curved structural members;
• wherein each structural member comprises two segments, each segment comprising a first end and a second end, the first end of one segment being connected to the first end of the other segment, thereby forming the structural member, and the second end of each segment being connected to another segment of a different structural member, such that the structural members are oppositely and alternately positioned along a longitudinal direction, thereby forming the portion of the generally cylindrical structure, the portion expanding from a compressed state to an expanded state by a spiraling motion of each of the structural members about the central longitudinal axis;
• wherein each structural member comprises a crossbar connected to each of the two segments, thereby forming a closed cell region within each structural member;
• and
• wherein a ratio of a circumferential length of each structural member to a circumferential length of each closed cell region is in the range of from about 2.5 to about 6.5.

An expandable stent for medical implantation, comprising:

• a generally cylindrical structure having a central longitudinal axis, wherein at least a portion of the generally cylindrical structure is formed from an arrangement of circumferentially curved structural members;
• wherein each structural member comprises two segments, each segment comprising a first end and a second end, the first end of one segment being connected to the first end of the other segment, thereby forming the structural member, and the second end of each segment being connected to another segment of a different structural member, such that the structural members are oppositely and alternately positioned along a longitudinal direction, thereby forming the portion of the generally cylindrical structure, the portion expanding from a compressed state to an expanded state by a spiraling motion of each of the structural members about the central longitudinal axis;
• wherein each structural member further comprises at least one of:
• a nesting configuration, wherein the structural member nests within an open region formed by the segments in the compressed state, the portion of the generally cylindrical structure thereby having no overlapping regions, and
• a crossbar connected to each of the two segments, thereby forming a closed cell region within each structural member;
• and
• at least one of:
• a ratio of a circumferential length of each structural member to a spacing between adjacent structural members in the range of from about 1.8 to about 3.2, and
• a ratio of a circumferential length of each structural member to a circumferential length of each closed cell region in the range of from about 2.5 to about 6.5.