Helical stent with opposing and/or alternating pitch angles

A stent comprising:

• a wire bent into a waveform that is wrapped into a hollow cylindrical shape to form the stent, the waveform including a series of sinusoidal segments of the wire;
• wherein each sinusoidal segment includes a first portion having an amplitude between consecutive turns of the wire that gradually increases along a length of the first portion from a first amplitude to a second amplitude and a second portion longitudinally offset from the first portion wherein an amplitude between consecutive turns of the wire gradually decreases along a length of the second portion from a third amplitude to a fourth amplitude, wherein a longitudinally extended span of the wire extends from a last turn in the first portion to a first turn in the second portion with the last turn of the first portion and the first turn of the second portion being consecutive turns of the waveform;
• and
• wherein each of the first portions of the series of sinusoidal segments forms only one complete wrapping of the waveform about a longitudinal axis of the stent and each of the second portions of the series of sinusoidal segments forms only one complete wrapping of the waveform about the longitudinal axis of the stent.

A stent comprising:

• a wire bent into a waveform that is wrapped into a hollow cylindrical shape to form the stent, the waveform including a series of sinusoidal segments of the wire;
• wherein each sinusoidal segment includes a first portion having an amplitude between consecutive turns of the wire that gradually increases along a length of the first portion from a first amplitude to a second amplitude and a second portion longitudinally offset from the first portion wherein an amplitude between consecutive turns of the wire gradually decreases along a length of the second portion from a third amplitude to a fourth amplitude,
• wherein a longitudinally extended span of the wire extends from a last turn in the sinusoidal segment first portion to a first turn in the sinusoidal segment second portion with a subsequent consecutive turn of the sinusoidal segment second portion being bent at approximately a midpoint between the last turn and a preceding consecutive turn of the sinusoidal segment first portion, and
• wherein each of the sinusoidal segments is longitudinally offset from adjacent sinusoidal segments.