Patent ID: 7914571

Claim:
A stent comprising: a tubular, flexible body formed of a material defining a longitudinal direction and a circumferential direction, the flexible body having a wall defining a permanent web structure defined by a plurality of neighboring web patterns and comprising a plurality of struts and configured to transition between a compressed state and an expanded state, the flexible body including a plurality of blind holes formed in at least one of the plurality of neighboring web patterns, the blind holes extending for less than the length of a single, longitudinally extending strut of the web pattern and being confined within the single, longitudinally extending strut of the web pattern, at least one of the plurality of blind holes being arranged to be orientated to extend from a fronthead side of the body in the longitudinal direction and terminating within the single strut of the web pattern; and a plurality of discrete radiopaque inserts being disposed within the plurality of blind holes, the radiopaque inserts being sealed within the blind holes such that the radiopaque inserts are totally surrounded by the material of the body of the stent to prevent contact with the external environment.