Patent ID: 8157859

Claim:
A stent made of nitinol having a support structure, comprising: peripheral struts disposed around the circumference of the support structure, wherein said struts are linked to one another in the axial direction via a plurality of connection struts, each connection strut having a first section, a second section and a hinge region, and in which the support structure may assume a compressed state and an expanded state, wherein the nitinol in the support structure is in a martensitic microstructure in the compressed state and largely in an austenitic microstructure in the expanded state, but wherein one or more support structure first and second sections, but not the hinge region, are at least partially in a martensitic microstructure in the expanded state, a martensite formation having been induced by a partial or complete heating of one or more support structure sections above a temperature of 200° C., wherein one or more connection struts are at least partially in a martensitic microstructure in the expanded state.