Patent ID: 7294146

Claim:
A variable length stent deployment apparatus for use in a body vessel comprising: a flexible catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end adapted for positioning in the vessel; a stenting structure releasably held by the catheter body in an unexpanded configuration, the stenting structure having a total length and being movable from the unexpanded configuration to an expanded configuration adapted to engage a wall of the vessel; and a deployment mechanism coupled to the catheter body adapted to apply a radially outward force along a selected length of the stenting structure to deploy a portion of the stenting structure having the selected length at one time, wherein the deployed portion having the selected length is released into the vessel in the expanded configuration while a remaining portion of the stenting structure unconnected to the deployed portion remains releasably held by the catheter body in the unexpanded configuration and wherein the deployment mechanism is coupled to an actuator at proximal end of the catheter body which allows the selected length that is expanded at one time to be varied from less than the total length up to substantially all of the total length while the catheter is positioned in the vessel.