Patent ID: 7331987

Claim:
An intravascular stent for use in a body lumen, comprising: a body, the body defining a single stent structure and including a distal section, a proximal section, and a central section positioned between the distal section and the proximal section, each section being aligned along a common longitudinal axis forming the stent; the distal section and the proximal section each having a plurality of cylindrical rings; the cylindrical rings of the distal section and the proximal section each including an undulating pattern of U-shaped portions forming peaks and valleys with straight portions parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent and extending between the peaks and valleys, wherein the peaks of adjacent cylindrical rings are circumferentially aligned along the stent; a plurality of links interconnecting adjacent cylindrical rings; and a plurality of struts within the central section forming a connection between the distal section and the proximal section; wherein the central section is configured to have a density promoting smooth muscle cell growth and to have a longitudinal length at least as long as a longitudinal ring length of a ring of the distal section or the proximal section.