Patent ID: 8439965

Claim:
An angioplasty stent comprising a body which has a generally tubular wall and configured to be expandable in use from a radially contracted condition towards a radially expanded condition, wherein the wall of the body comprises a plurality of arms and a plurality of selectively deformable regions extending between the arms, each selectively deformable region having first and second ends connected between two arms and being configured to be deformable during the expansion of the stent such that an angle between the two arms connected to each selectively deformable region is greater in the radially expanded condition than in the radially contracted condition, each arm having a first cross-section, each deformable region having a second cross-section which is different from the first cross-section, the cross-section of each selectively deformable region being substantially constant except at transition portions adjacent the ends of the selectively deformable regions, wherein the plurality of arms and the plurality of selectively deformable regions form a plurality of loops, the plurality of loops including a first portion of loops connected to an adjacent loop by a bridge connector and a second portion of loops free of connection to an adjacent loop.