Patent ID: 8002818

Claim:
A modular vascular prosthesis having a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration, the vascular prosthesis comprising: a radially expandable first segment having proximal and distal ends, the radially expandable first segment comprising a plurality of first struts coupled by a plurality of first bends, the plurality of first struts and the plurality of first bends having a first thickness; a radially expandable second segment having proximal and distal ends, the radially expandable second segment comprising a plurality of second struts coupled by a plurality of second bends, the plurality of second struts and the plurality of second bends having a second thickness; a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the distal end of the first segment, the first inter-engageable elements comprising disk shaped portions having a distally extending circumferentially projecting peripheral flange extending from one first strut of the plurality of first struts about a periphery of the disk shaped portion to a second strut of the plurality of first struts, the disk shaped portions having a thickness approximately equal to the first thickness and the circumferentially projecting flange having a thickness that is less than the first thickness; and a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal end of the second segment, each of the second inter-engageable elements comprising a socket element directly coupled to a pair of second struts of the plurality of second struts and configured to accept the disk shaped portions and overlie the flange of the first inter-engageable element, the socket element having a thickness that is less than the second thickness, wherein the plurality of first inter-engageable elements are engaged in the plurality of second inter-engageable elements to permit articulation of the first segment relative to the second segment in the delivery configuration.