Patent ID: 8904914

Claim:
A method of forming a structure for treating a vessel, the method comprising: arranging a plurality of filaments extending from individual carriers of a yarn wheel, at least one of the plurality of filaments being a shape memory filament and at least another of the plurality of filaments being a radiopaque filament; providing a mandrel comprising: a strand having a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of balls coupled to the strand along the longitudinal axis by at least one of welding and soldering, pairs of the plurality of balls spaced along the longitudinal axis; braiding the plurality of filaments around the mandrel including, during braiding, forming a plurality of bulbs around the plurality of balls, and forming necks between pairs of the plurality of bulbs; after braiding the plurality of filaments, heat treating the plurality of filaments on the mandrel; and after heat treating the plurality of filaments on the mandrel, removing the plurality of filaments from the mandrel, the structure comprising the heat-treated plurality of filaments including the plurality of bulbs and the necks.