Systems and methods for compressing, crimping and loading a stent

A method of compressing and crimping a stent comprising:

• providing a stent compression and crimping system comprising:
• a sheath having a proximal end, a distal end comprising a removable funnel, and a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends;
• a guidewire extending through the lumen of the sheath;
• a plurality of elongate wires, each wire having a proximal end attached to a collar, a distal free end, and a wire body extending between the proximal end and the distal end;
• clamping the sheath to a clamp at a position proximal to the funnel;
• placing a stent onto the guidewire, the guidewire extending through the lumen of the sheath and through the funnel, the plurality of wires disposed about the guidewire and stent;
• positioning the plurality of wires against the stent;
• placing the proximal end of the stent into the funnel;
• and
• pulling the guidewire to allow the plurality of wires to draw the stent into the funnel and through the clamp, the clamp crimping the stent and the funnel compressing the stent.