Patent ID: 7655032

Claim:
A stent comprising a plurality of bonate cell structures wherein the bonate cell structures abut one another, each bonate cell structure having a long axis oblique to the longitudinal axis of the stent when the stent is in an unexpanded state where the long axis lies on a line that does not intersect the longitudinal axis of the stent when the stent is in said unexpanded state, each bonate cell structure being defined by a wall, portions of the wall defining a first relatively wide end portion, a second relatively wide end portion and a relatively narrow connecting portion, the long axis bisecting the first and second relatively wide end portions, the bonate cell structure being symmetrical about the long axis: the portion of the wall defining the first relatively wide end portion having a first end region and a second end region, the portion of the wall defining the second relatively wide end portion having a first end region and a second end region; and the portions of the wall defining the relatively narrow connecting portion engaging both wide end portions so that the first and second end regions of the first end portion extend away in opposing directions from the portions of the wall defining the relatively narrow connecting portion, and so that the first and second end regions of the second end portion extend away in opposing directions from the portions of the wall defining the relatively narrow connecting portion.