Patent ID: 8241348

Claim:
A method of rupturing a fibrous cap for controllably releasing vulnerable plaque in a body lumen, comprising: providing a catheter assembly having a catheter shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and an expandable member positioned at the distal end of the catheter shaft; an intravascular stent having a plurality of cylindrical rings, each ring having a strut pattern and being aligned along a common longitudinal axis of the stent and defining a stent circumference; a plurality of links interconnecting adjacent cylindrical rings; a first side of the circumference of the stent; a second side of the circumference of the stent; wherein the struts and links of the first side of the stent are relatively stronger than the struts and links of the second side of the stent; providing a guide wire having a proximal end and a distal end; advancing the guide wire through the body lumen until the distal end of the guide wire is distal to the fibrous cap; advancing the catheter assembly over the guide wire until the stent is positioned in a target area including the fibrous cap aligning the second side of the stent with the fibrous cap; inflating the expandable member to expand the stent until the stent is apposed to a wall of the body lumen and the fibrous cap ruptures thereby controllably releasing the vulnerable plaque; deflating the expandable member; removing the catheter assembly from the body lumen; and removing the guide wire from the body lumen.