Patent ID: 7651525

Claim:
An intraluminal stent assembly comprising: a catheter including at least one lumen formed therein; at least one inflatable member disposed on the catheter and in communication with the lumen, the inflatable member comprising at least one distal projection, the distal projection having a first expansion diameter; a self-expanding stent expandable from a compressed configuration to an expanded configuration, the stent having a second expansion diameter, the stent disposed on the inflatable member in the compressed configuration, the stent disposed on the inflatable member proximal to the at least one distal projection; and a sheath slidably positioned over the stent wherein the stent expands itself to the expanded configuration upon retraction of the sheath; wherein the inflatable member is inflatable with a fluid flowing through the lumen-such that the distal projection expands in diameter more rapidly than the stent self-expands, wherein the first expansion diameter is greater than the second expansion diameter to retain the stent on the inflatable member while the stent self-expands during deployment.