Flexible intraluminal stent

A stent as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each hoop member has two crowns at the proximal end and two crowns at the distal end of the stent.

A stent according to any preceding claim wherein an articulation angle is selected such that the increase in radial force per unit length delivered onto the lumen equals or exceeds the decrease in radial force per unit length associated with the strain energy within the stent material so that the hoop member shortens axially with radial expansion.

A stent as claimed in any preceding claim wherein at least one pair of the generally axially opposed regions are arranged with an axial separation between them.

A stent as claimed in any preceding claim which is formed with a non-circular end view profile in its non-compressed state.

A stent according to any preceding claim wherein the generally circumferentially extending regions are U-, C- or V-shaped.

A stent as claimed in any preceding claim which has an oval or non-round profile after deployment in the vessel lumen.

A stent according to any preceding claim wherein the hoop member is provided with an anchoring means which is adapted to anchor the stent against the lumen wall.

A stent according to any of the preceding claims wherein the hoop profile has an aspect ratio of 1:1 when occupying a spatial envelope of reduced diameter for insertion into a blood vessel or when expanded in a blood vessel.

A stent according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the series of axially arranged hoop members consist of from 1 to 400 hoop members.

A stent according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one hoop member is nested on a wire, mandrel or guide wire.

A stent according to any preceding claim wherein at least one hoop member is nested on a wire, mandrel or guide wire and encapsulated by a sheath constraining the hoop members.

A stent according to any preceding claim wherein the hoop member is plastically deformable and/or balloon expandable.

A stent according to any of the preceding claims wherein a series of hoop members are axially arrangable offset to each other on opposite sides of a central circumferentially defined plane.

A stent according to any of the preceding claims wherein a series of hoop members are deployable so that a pair of hoop members crosses each other providing a maximum of 4 points of contact with each other.

A stent according to any of the preceding claims wherein the resilient material is selected from the group comprising metals, plastics, ceramics or composites thereof.

A stent according to any of the preceding claims wherein the hoop member is coated with a biodegradable material selected from the group comprising Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), poly(D,L-lactide/glycolide) copolymer (PDLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), magnesium, or any other biodegradable material.

A stent according to any preceding claim wherein the wherein the hoop member acts as a carrier for a drug to be delivered to the blood vessel.

A stent as claimed in any preceding claim in which the geometry of the hoop members 1 when positioned in a lumen induces a uniform distribution of blood vessel wall shear stress, without significantly distorting the lumen central axis.

A stent as claimed in any preceding claim provided with a reinforcing element linking the two axially opposed portions (or axial struts) in the region of the generally circumferentially extending portions (or crowns).

A kit of parts comprising a plurality of hoop members mounted along a sheath or wire or mandrel or guide wire at varying axial spacings, or axially off-set with respect to one another or at varying angular spacings when viewed in the axial direction such that they can be deployed at varying spacings or in varying orientations within a blood vessel.

A stent substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.