Patent ID: 8343205

Claim:
A stent delivery system comprising: a stent accommodating tube possessing a distal end portion; an inner tube positioned inside the stent accommodating tube in a manner permitting the stent accommodating tube to be moved proximally relative to the inner tube, the inner tube possessing a guide wire lumen extending along at least a portion of a longitudinal extent of the inner tube and being configured to receive a guide wire, the guide wire lumen having opposite ends opening outside the stent accommodating tube; a hollow cylindrically shaped stent which possesses a proximal end, the stent being removably positioned in the stent accommodating tube in a configuration in which the stent is inwardly compressed, the stent encircling a distal end portion of the inner tube, the stent being exposable outside the stent accommodating tube by proximally moving the stent accommodating tube relative to the inner tube, the stent being configured to automatically expand outwardly after being exposed outside the stent accommodating tube and left indwelling in vivo; a plurality of radiopaque markers on the inner tube, the radiopaque markers being spaced apart from one another along a longitudinal extent of the inner tube, the plurality of radiopaque markers comprising a first one of the radiopaque markers positioned at the proximal end of the stent and additional ones of the plurality of radiopaque markers being positioned proximally from the first radiopaque markers, the first radiopaque marker being a distal-most radiopaque marker on the inner tube, adjacent ones of the plurality of radiopaque markers being spaced apart from one another by a common distance to permit distance determination during use of the stent delivery system; and the radiopaque markers comprising a plurality of main scales and a plurality of auxiliary scales, a plurality of the auxiliary scales being positioned between adjacent ones of the main scales, and the auxiliary scales being lower in radiopacity than the main scales.